Department for Transport

Railways: Scotland

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will work with the Office of Rail and Road to ensure that the proposed new Edinburgh to Berwick train service via Reston and East Linton stations will not be impeded by pathways being allocated to long distance train operating companies.

Claire Perry: Decisions on access to the railway are a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). When considering applications for new or additional access to the network by a railway operator the ORR will consult interested parties, including other users of the network and funders, such as the Secretary of State, and take into account their views. In reaching a decision ORR must exercise its functions in a way that it considers best achieves its statutory duties.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potentially constraining effect on Heathrow airport's growth of that airport's future carbon emissions.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the potential (a) direct and (b) indirect costs to the public purse of the proposed expansion of Heathrow airport.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the safety and noise pollution implications of new flight paths likely to be required as a result of Heathrow expansion.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implication for his policy of evidence in the Airports Commission consultation of November 2014 which shows that Heathrow expansion will result in no overall increase in the number of UK passengers, business passengers, flights or connectivity because it would be fed by re-distributing growth from other UK airports; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of Heathrow expansion on the diversification of economic growth throughout the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report before taking any decisions on next steps.The Government will carefully consider all the evidence set out, including that on noise, air quality and costs, when making a decision on additional runway capacity.

Air Space: Greater London

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who will experience an increase in the effect of noise as a result of the current plan to modernise London's airspace; what assessment his Department has made of the geographical extent of that increase; and what effect the proposed Heathrow expansion would have on those estimates.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government has not undertaken any such an assessments.Proposals for airspace change in the UK are subject to the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Airspace Change Process. A key part of this process is the requirement for airspace change sponsors to consider the potential noise impacts of their proposal and to consult those who may be affected. The CAA takes full account of the potential noise impact when making its decision.

Airports Commission: Public Appointments

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department took to ensure Sir Howard Davies was not subject to any conflicts of interest when he was appointed as Chair of the Airports Commission.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Sir Howard Davies was required to complete and sign a register of interest disclosure form stating any potential conflict with his work in leading the independent Airports Commission. Registers of all the Commissioners’ interests are available on the Airports Commission’s website at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/airports-commissioners-conflicts-of-interest-disclosure

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the Barnett consequentials for Wales resulting from public expenditure on High Speed 2.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Ministers in the Department for Transport are in regular contact with the Welsh Assembly on a variety of matters. However, Ministers have not received representations from the Welsh Government regarding HS2 and Barnett consequentials.Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dft-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-january-to-march-2015

Crossrail Line

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the difference between step-free access to trains and step-free access to platforms means in the context of plans for different Crossrail stations.

Claire Perry: Step-free access to trains provides direct access for a passenger from street level to the train via the use of ramps and lifts. Step-free access to platforms provides passengers with direct access from street level to platform via the use of ramps and lifts and further assistance with a ramp is required for those that require it to access the train.In the context of Crossrail, all stations between Paddington and Abbey Wood will have step-free access to train. This means that these stations will have ramps or lifts from the street to the platform, and only a very small gap between platform and train allowing for level boarding when getting on and off a train. Heathrow Airport’s stations at Terminals 1-3 and Terminal 4 will also have step-free access to trains.Those stations that Crossrail will serve on the existing network between Stratford and Shenfield and between Acton Mainline and Reading (not including Heathrow Airport) will have step-free access to platform. This means that there will be ramps or lifts from the street to the platform, but there will not be level access to the train without the aid of a ramp deployed by staff.All Crossrail stations will be staffed for the entire period that train services are operating, so there will be staff on hand to assist passengers who need to board and alight using platforms ramps.

Railway Stations: Greater London

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of ticket barriers at stations in London being left open.

Claire Perry: Ticket gates barriers are operated and provided by a number of different operating companies at national rail stations, Docklands Light Railway, TfL Overground and tube stations across London. No such estimate has been made across all stations in London.

Home Office

Nurses: Migrant Workers

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect on nurses from the Philippines working in the NHS of proposals that Tier 2 visa immigrants from outside the European Economic Area must be earning £35,000 or more to qualify for indefinite leave to remain in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Government announced in 2012 that from 6 April 2016 Tier 2 visa holders who apply for settlement in the UK will be required to meet a minimum annual salary requirement of £35,000. PhD level roles and those in shortage will be exempt from the £35,000 threshold. The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. This included the potential effect on nurses. The impact assessment is available on the gov.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf.On 15 October, the Home Secretary announced that nurses will be added to the list on a temporary basis, pending a full review by the independent Migration Advisory Committee. This will ease pressure on the NHS at a time when the Government is introducing tough new controls on costly agency spending. It will help the NHS improve continuity of care for patients, invest in the frontline and maintain safe staffing levels. The Home Office has not made any assessment of the impact of the policy specifically on nurses from the Philippines working in the NHS.

Refugees: Syria

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral statement by the Prime Minister on 7 September 2015, Official Report, column 23, how many Syrian refugee families have been granted asylum in the UK to date.

James Brokenshire: 437 Syrian refugee families have been granted asylum since 2006. This figure is based on main asylum claimants who claimed asylum from 1 October 2006 to August 2015, with 1 or more dependant linked to their asylum claim that was under the age of 18. This does not include individuals from the current resettlement programme, which will take 20,000 by the end of this Parliament.

Undocumented Migrants: Deportation

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average amount of time taken to deport a person living illegally in the UK was in 2014-15.

James Brokenshire: Data on the average amount of time taken to deport a foreign national offender from UK in 2014-15 is contained in figures published quarterly by the Home Office link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data

Immigrants: Rented Housing

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been carried out of the performance of the right to rent pilot in Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley and Wolverhampton.

James Brokenshire: The Government has carried out an evaluation of phase one of the Right to Rent scheme in Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley and Wolverhampton. This includes assessment of the implementation of the Landlords Checking Service. The findings of the evaluation were published on 20 October and will inform the extension of the scheme. The evaluation can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-right-to-rent-scheme

Immigrants: Rented Housing

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of her Department's landlords' checking service before the right to rent scheme is rolled out nationally.

James Brokenshire: The Government has carried out an evaluation of phase one of the Right to Rent scheme in Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley and Wolverhampton. This includes assessment of the implementation of the Landlords Checking Service. The findings of the evaluation were published on 20 October and will inform extension of the scheme. The evaluation can be found at the following link : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-right-to-rent-scheme

Foreign Relations: Saudi Arabia

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to publish the Memorandum of Understanding with the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, signed in March 2014.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not publish security co-operation agreements with international partners as to do so would undermine bilateral relations and prejudice our ability to conduct work under these agreements.

Catering: Skilled Workers

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the skills shortage facing the UK curry industry following the cap on skilled curry chefs from outside the EU.

Nick Boles: I have been asked to reply of behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.Skills provision must meet the needs of employers. This is why employer-led Trailblazers are currently leading the way in the design and delivery of new more rigorous apprenticeship standards.Standards relating to several chef roles have already been developed and these are intended to cover specialisms such as Indian cuisine. Employers in the curry industry may therefore wish to contact the Trailblazer leads Kathryn.Porter@Hilton.co.uk or Annette.Allmark@people1st.co.uk for more details of how to get involved in the standards’ development. If they identify a particular skills gap not accommodated by the existing standards, then they could come together and apply to develop a specific standard to meet their needs.

Older People: Abuse

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the prevalence of elder abuse by family members in England and Wales.

Karen Bradley: We recognise that people of all ages may be subjected to domestic abuse. We are committed to ensuring the police and other frontline agencies have the tools they need to respond effectively. On 3 March 2015, domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour became specific offences under the Serious Crime Act.In October 2015, new guidance on investigating domestic abuse was published by the College of Policing which includes abuse of older people. New training for the police on domestic abuse has been developed and piloted in Hertfordshire; and the College is reviewing risk assessment tools used by officers. In addition, for the first time all police forces must flag all domestic abuse incidents as crimes.The Crown Prosecution Service updated its domestic abuse legal guidance in December 2014. This includes advice for prosecutors on elder abuse. E-learning is also being finalised for prosecutors on this issue.In addition, the Care Act 2014 heralds a significant step change for adult safeguarding in England by placing it on a statutory footing and providing a greater focus on the prevention of abuse and neglect and on the desired outcomes of the individual in question.

Refugees

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been resettled in the UK through the Mandate scheme in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 16 October 2015



Information on the number of people resettled in the UK from 2010 up to and including 2014 under the Mandate Scheme is shown in the following table.The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of people resettled in the UK in Table as_19 of the Immigration Statistics release .The latest publication (Immigration statistics, April to June 2015 ) is available on the GOV.UK website:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2015Refugees (and others) resettled under the Mandate Scheme, including dependants, 2010 to 2014YearNumber201049201122201254201332201414

Extradition: USA

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to amend the US-UK extradition treaty to make the legal requirements for extradition the same for US and UK citizens.

James Brokenshire: Under the UK-US Treaty there is no practical difference in the treatment of UK and US nationals, or indeed the nationals of any other country. This was also the conclusion of the independent Review of the UK’s Extradition Arrangements which the Home Secretary asked Sir Scott Baker to conduct, which stated “We have concluded that the United States/United Kingdom Treaty does not operate in an unbalanced manner” and that “there is no practical difference between the information submitted to and from the United States”. Changes were made to the operation of the Treaty in the last Parliament, such as the introduction of the 'forum bar' under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The Government believes that the Treaty is operating fairly.

Drugs: Misuse

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 10467, when she plans for the results of the application of the Family Test on orders seeking to control drugs that are dangerous or otherwise harmful when misused to be published.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigration Bill: Families

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the results of the Family Test applied to the policies proposed in the Immigration Bill.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigrants: Detainees

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her announcement on 9 February 2015 on an independent review of policies and procedures affecting the welfare of those held in immigration removal centres, and pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 10 September 2015, Official Report, column 601, when she expects that review will be published.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cumbria Constabulary: Finance

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on planned reductions to the policing budget in Cumbria.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cumbria Constabulary: Finance

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure reductions in funding to Cumbria Constabulary do not result in a reduction in police numbers.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cumbria Constabulary: Staff

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers there were in Cumbria in each of the last 10 years.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 20 October 2015



The table provided contains data on the number of full time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Cumbria Police Force Area (PFA) as at 31 March for every year from 2006 to 2015. As HMIC has made clear, there is no simple link between officer numbers and crime levels, between numbers and the visibility of police in the community, or between numbers and the quality of service provided.Number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Police Officers as at 31 March 2006 to 31 March 2015, Cumbria Constabulary1Situation as atNumbers (FTE)31 March 20061,26531 March 20071,27331 March 20081,24431 March 20091,28431 March 20101,23831 March 20111,18031 March 20121,12531 March 20131,12131 March 20141,15031 March 20151,1431. Police officer strength statistics are published in the data tables of the annual Police Workforce, England and Wales, statistical publication (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales).

Members: Surveillance

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the communications of the hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden; and whether he has been subject to surveillance.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

College of Policing: Saudi Arabia

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will direct the College of Policing to disclose the content of each of the training courses it has provided to Saudi police officers.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will direct the College of Policing to disclose the amounts paid by the Saudi Arabian government for training it has provided to Saudi police officers.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 20 October 2015



The College of Policing in common with other organisations, does not routinely publish details of commercial agreements and has no plans to do so. The Home Secretary has no plans to direct the College of Policing to disclose this information.

Lancashire Constabulary: Fees and Charges

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the revenue Lancashire Constabulary obtained from vehicle storage fees in 2014.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold this information. The police are empowered to levy statutorily prescribed charges as set out in the Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles (Prescribed Sums and Charges) Regulations 2008. The decision to use these powers is an operational matter for the police.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the Afghan government on the work of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: UK officials raised the work of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) with the Afghan government during the Senior Officials Meeting in Kabul in September 2015, emphasising the importance and independence of the AIHRC. The UK supports the AIHRC’s work to protect and promote human rights, and we will continue to work closely with the AIHRC to develop its capability.

Afghanistan

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the Afghan government on improving the welfare and well-being of (a) women and girls and (b) other people in Afghanistan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK participated in the Senior Officials Meeting in Kabul in September 2015 at which a new Self-Reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework for development and poverty reduction was agreed between the Afghan government and the international community. The UK holds quarterly development cooperation meetings with the Afghan government to discuss its bilateral aid programme, as well as regular thematic discussions with Afghan ministers and officials.UK officials raised the Afghan National Action Plan on women and girls with the Afghan government during the Senior Officials Meeting. The Plan was finalised and released in July and focuses on women’s economic empowerment, implementation of the Eliminating Violence Against Women law, improving women’s participation in the civil service, and addressing sexual harassment.Afghanistan is one of six priority countries for the UK’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and this agenda covers priority areas where investing in women and girls can make a difference on gender equality and development for Afghanistan. We support programme and policy work in five main areas: tackling violence against women; women in security and police; economic empowerment; education and women’s participation.

Afghanistan: Press Freedom

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the Afghan government on ensuring the protection of journalists and media organisations in Afghanistan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: UK officials raised human rights issues, including the rights of journalists and media workers, with the Afghan government during the Senior Officials Meeting in Kabul in September 2015. Along with international partners, the UK is encouraging the Afghan government to make progress on its Human Rights commitments, and will discuss progress at the Joint Monitoring and Coordination Meeting in early 2016.The UK works with Afghan journalists and media organisations on a regular basis and has provided funding to the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, particularly their work monitoring the safety of journalists reporting on the Presidential elections.

Disneyland Paris

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with his French counterpart allegations that British tourists have been systematically overcharged at Disneyland, Paris.

Mr David Lidington: The European Commission reported in July that it is probing whether Disneyland Paris is overcharging customers from certain countries in breach of the European Union's laws. We will decide whether any UK Government action is required once the results of the investigation are known.

Jason Rezaian

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Iranian government on the release from captivity of Jason Rezaian.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised the detention of Jason Rezaian with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif in Tehran on 23 August. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) also raised the case during a phone call with President Rouhani on 16 July.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he is holding at the UN on a possible Security Council resolution authorising the use of force against ISIL/Daesh in Syria.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 15 October 2015



The UK regularly discusses the threat of ISIL both within the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and at the UN more widely, most recently at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the end of September. The UK has supported UNSC Resolutions 2170 and 2199, which condemn ISIL and restrict its financial, trade and recruitment networks, as well as UNGA Resolution A/RES/69/281. However, we currently judge that there is no prospect of a resolution authorising the use of force against ISIL in Syria that wouldn’t be vetoed by Russia.

Islamic State

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of coalition air strikes on (a) the extent of the territory held by ISIL/Daesh and (b) that group's capacity to advance in (i) Iraq and (ii) Syria.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 15 October 2015



The Coalition has carried out more than 8,000 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. Coupled with Iraqi ground troops’ operations, these have meant ISIL’s advances have been halted and 30% of the territory ISIL held in Iraq after its advance last summer has been regained. In Syria, Coalition airpower helped Kurdish forces retake Kobane and push ISIL back towards Raqqa. US Central Command, which coordinates Coalition airstrikes against ISIL, assesses that as of 8 Oct 2015, Coalition military action had destroyed or damaged over 13,500 ISIL targets in Iraq and Syria, including nearly 4,000 fighting positions. These are significant blows for an organisation whose strength prior to the launch of Coalition action emanated from its continued expansion and a false aura of invincibility.

Pakistan: Christianity

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the Pakistani government on persecution of Christians in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We remain concerned about the persecution of religious and other minorities in Pakistan, including Christians. The Government of Pakistan can be under no doubt as to the importance we attach to this issue. In August, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised religious freedom and human rights with Interior Minister Nisar. In June, I conveyed our concern about minorities in Pakistan to the Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK.We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to meet its international obligations to uphold the human rights of all its citizens. Our concerns about minorities in Pakistan are documented in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Reports.

Israel: Export Controls

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to pages three and four of the United Kingdom Strategic Export Controls Annual Report 2014, whether the policy regarding Israel as of the end of 2014 remains in place.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 15 October 2015



The Government announced the outcome of the review of export control policy towards Israel since the end of Operation Protective Edge on 14 July 2015: (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-of-export-licensing-procedures-for-israel).

West Bank: Arson

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Israeli authorities in the aftermath of the deaths of Saad Riham and Ali Dawabsheh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I released a statement condemning this horrific attack on the same day that it happened, 31 July. Officials from the British Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised the deaths of the Dawabsheh family with the Israeli authorities, most recently with the Israeli Defence Minister on 10 September. We have called on the Israeli authorities to ensure that those responsible for this crime are brought swiftly to justice and we continue to follow the case closely.

Syria: Refugees

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to distribute Syrian refugees amongst the British Overseas Territories.

Grant Shapps: The Home Office is the lead UK Government department responsible for the handling of Syrian refugees. The British Overseas Territories have not been asked to take part in the resettlement of the Syrian refuges into their communities.Immigration policy is a devolved responsibility for the Governments of the British Overseas Territories. If requested, it would therefore be for individual Overseas Territories to decide whether they would be willing to assist with the relocating of Syrian refugees in this particular case.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to encourage a return to representative, democratic governance in Zimbabwe once Mr Mugabe ceases to hold the office of President.

Grant Shapps: The Government supports progress towards a peaceful and prosperous Zimbabwe, where the rule of law and human rights are upheld, laying the foundations for long-term sustainable development. We frequently urge the Zimbabwean government to implement the new constitution agreed in 2013, which provides a foundation for improved governance and human rights, and to make necessary reforms to the electoral system to resolve the shortcomings identified by Southern African Development Community and the African Union observer mission during the 2013 elections. The UK also continues to support democracy by working with civil society organisations, human rights defenders and other stakeholders.

China: State Visits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's aims are for the state visit of President Xi Jinping in October 2015.

Mr Hugo Swire: The State Visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping on 20-23 October will set the tone and agenda for our relationship with China for the next decade, to develop a global partnership responding to the opportunities and challenges of the 21st Century. The visit will deliver major economic benefits for Britain through business deals, science and innovation co-operation, and enhanced links in education and culture. It will highlight the strength of the relationship in several areas: our openness to business links, our aim to make our economies fit for the future, and our response to important global issues.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the current level of representation of the British Overseas Territories at Westminster; and whether his Department plans to increase such representation and adopt a model similar to that used in (a) France and (b) the Netherlands.

Grant Shapps: The constitutional status of the Territories was reviewed prior to the publication of the 2012 White Paper: Security, Success and Sustainability. We believe that the fundamental structure of our constitutional relationship is the right one, with powers devolved to the elected governments of the Territories to the maximum extent possible consistent with the UK retaining those powers necessary to discharge its sovereign responsibilities.

Japan: Security

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Japanese counterparts on security reforms in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: We welcome Japan’s recent security reforms, which will allow Japan to play a greater role in international peace and security. During his visit in August, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed with the Japanese Foreign Minister the opportunities these reforms will create for even closer bilateral cooperation.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart against that country's policy of judicially-sanctioned capital punishment.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, especially in cases which do not meet the minimum standards defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We believe it undermines human dignity and there is no evidence that it works as a deterrent. Ministers, our Ambassador in Riyadh and the Embassy team raise the issue of the death penalty with the Saudi authorities, both bilaterally and through the European Union.We recognise that total abolition of the death penalty is unlikely in Saudi Arabia in the near future. Our focus is therefore on encouraging the introduction of EU minimum standards for the death penalty as a first step, and on supporting access to justice and rule of law.

Saudi Arabia: Human Rights

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on human rights abuses in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British government regularly raises its human rights concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities at the highest levels through Ministers, our Ambassador, and the Embassy team in Riyadh.Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign & Commonwealth Office country of concern because of the human rights situation in the country, particularly on the use of the death penalty, restricted access to justice, restrictions on women’s rights, as well as on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion or belief. We regularly make our views well known including through the UN Universal Periodic Review process and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s annual Human Rights and Democracy Report.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Saudi Arabian authorities on pursuing a negotiated solution to the conflict in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK Government is in regular contact with the Saudi authorities about the situation in Yemen through our Embassy in Riyadh and our Yemen Office based in Jeddah. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Al Jubeir on 29 September in the margins of the UN General Assembly. He underlined the importance of a political solution to the current crisis as soon as possible and reinforced the necessity of compliance with international humanitarian law. I also chaired a high level meeting at UNGA focused on pursuing a political solution.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2015 to Question 6862 on Yemen: armed conflict, whether it remains the case that the UK Government has seen no credible evidence that the Saudi-led coalition has breached international humanitarian law in its campaign in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of reports on alleged violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) by all sides to the conflict in Yemen, and take them very seriously. We have raised our concerns over alleged IHL violations with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the Coalition, and in return have received repeated assurances of their compliance. We have also raised our concerns over alleged IHL and international human rights law violations by the Houthis, and again stressed the importance of compliance.

USA: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of John Boehner's resignation as US Congress Speaker on US-UK relations.

Mr Hugo Swire: I was sorry to hear of Mr Boehner’s resignation. He has been a good friend to the UK and a strong advocate of the transatlantic relationship. It is unclear at this stage who the next Speaker will be but we remain confident that, whomever is selected, the UK-US relationship will remain as vibrant and strong as ever. We look forward to working with his successor.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of the situation of the Bahá'i community in Iran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Baha’i community in Iran is subject to mounting persecution, and we are concerned by state efforts to identify, monitor and arbitrarily detain Baha'is. We have repeatedly expressed our concern at the harassment faced by Baha’is in Iran and at the sentencing of seven Baha'i leaders to 20 years in prison. We urge the Iranian Government to ensure that all Iranian citizens are able to practise their faith freely, as required by international conventions.

Iraq: Minority Groups

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the authorities in Iraq on the Yazidi community in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers continue to raise the situation of minority communities in Iraq with the Iraqi authorities. The Government condemns in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by ISIL against all communities throughout the areas under its control. We are working closely with the Iraqi Government, the Kurdistan Regional Government and our international coalition partners to assist and protect civilians. The human rights situation in areas under ISIL control is gravely concerning, including for Yezidis, and Yezidi women in particular. We have received reports, including from Amnesty International, of the ordeal faced by these women and others abducted by ISIL, including rape, forced marriage, sexual abuse, forced conversion, and being sold as slaves. Working with the Department for International Development, we are already funding activities to protect vulnerable civilians, such as legal assistance and support groups for women. We are continuing to explore what further support we might be able to provide to vulnerable groups and internally displaced persons. We welcome the commitments that Prime Minister al-Abadi has made to inclusivity, protecting Iraqi citizens, addressing human rights abuses and holding those responsible to account.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent progress towards achieving a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The only way to end the conflict in Syria is through a negotiated settlement to create an inclusive government, which can protect its people from the tyranny of ISIL and other extremists. We support the efforts of UN Special Envoy de Mistura to facilitate this. Russian actions have complicated the situation in Syria, making a political transition less likely. It is clear that Russia is carrying out airstrikes against the moderate opposition, who must be part of a political process. We call on Russia to stop targeting moderate opposition groups and to use its influence with the regime to deliver genuine negotiations on a political transition.

Islamic State: Internet

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with foreign governments to counter ISIL propaganda online.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK is leading efforts to counter ISIL propaganda online. We co-chair the Global Coalition’s work to counter ISIL’s narrative, and I am hosting the Coalition’s Strategic Communications Working Group later this month. This aims to strengthen the Coalition’s understanding of the challenge posed by ISIL online. It will look at how we can use social media and the internet to counter ISIL’s propaganda.

Kashmir: Human Rights

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Hugo Swire: I am aware of concerns about human rights violations on both sides of the Line of Control. We have consistently maintained that any allegations of human rights abuses should be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently.

Prisoners: British Nationals Abroad

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help British citizens and the families of British citizens imprisoned abroad for minor offences.

Grant Shapps: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office offer impartial consular assistance to British nationals imprisoned abroad, irrespective of the offence alleged. We review each prisoner’s case individually and offer a tailored service accordingly; this allows us to use our resources to support those most in need, or held under the most difficult conditions.

Attorney General

Human Rights

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on the implementation of the UK's domestic and international legal obligations on human rights.

Jeremy Wright: By long-standing convention, observed by successive administrations and embodied in the Ministerial Code, the fact that I may or may not have advised or have been requested to advise on a particular issue, and the content of any advice, is not disclosed outside Government.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Training

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of adults that will be participating in non-apprenticeship vocational training by 2020 in (a) the UK, (b) England and (c) Warwick and Leamington constituency.

Nick Boles: The Department does not produce forecasts for participation in further education.The funding available for adult skills up to 2015/16 is outlined in the Skills Funding Letter. The letter sets out the Government’s priorities for the budget and it is for providers to decide how they use their adult skills funding to reflect those priorities and meet the needs of learners and employers in their local area.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-funding-letter-april-2015-to-march-2016Information on historic participation in government funded further education by geography is published online at the FE Data Library:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-further-education-and-skills

Sunday Trading

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential economic effect on small businesses of changing Sunday trading laws.

Anna Soubry: Devolving the power to extend Sunday trading hours will enable local areas to determine the Sunday trading hours that best reflect the need of local people. There are many reasons why people will continue to choose small retailers. They offer a diverse range of products and services from convenient locations. This is perhaps why the convenience sector last year saw the opening of two new stores a day and growth in turnover of 5%.

Employment: Females

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government plans to take to reduce the incidence of women being asked about their plans to have children during job interviews with prospective employers.

Nick Boles: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 20 October 2015.The correct answer should have been:

Skills provision must meet the needs of employers. This is why employer-led Trailblazers are currently leading the way in the design and delivery of new more rigorous apprenticeship standards.Standards relating to several chef roles have already been developed and these are intended to cover specialisms such as Indian cuisine. Employers in the curry industry may therefore wish to contact the Trailblazer leads Kathryn.Porter@Hilton.co.uk or Annette.Allmark@people1st.co.uk for more details of how to get involved in the standards’ development. If they identify a particular skills gap not accommodated by the existing standards, then they could come together and apply to develop a specific standard to meet their needs.In 2014 the Government commissioned an extensive research project into perceived pregnancy and maternity discrimination in Great Britain. The research was jointly managed and funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, supported by the Government Equalities Office.This is the largest ever study of pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination conducted in Great Britain. Interim findings were published in July 2015 and can be found at: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/publication/pregnancy-and-maternity-related-discrimination-and-disadvantage-first-findings-surveys-employers-and-0.The final report, due to be published later this year, will inform the Government’s response.

Nick Boles: Skills provision must meet the needs of employers. This is why employer-led Trailblazers are currently leading the way in the design and delivery of new more rigorous apprenticeship standards.Standards relating to several chef roles have already been developed and these are intended to cover specialisms such as Indian cuisine. Employers in the curry industry may therefore wish to contact the Trailblazer leads Kathryn.Porter@Hilton.co.uk or Annette.Allmark@people1st.co.uk for more details of how to get involved in the standards’ development. If they identify a particular skills gap not accommodated by the existing standards, then they could come together and apply to develop a specific standard to meet their needs.In 2014 the Government commissioned an extensive research project into perceived pregnancy and maternity discrimination in Great Britain. The research was jointly managed and funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, supported by the Government Equalities Office.This is the largest ever study of pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination conducted in Great Britain. Interim findings were published in July 2015 and can be found at: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/publication/pregnancy-and-maternity-related-discrimination-and-disadvantage-first-findings-surveys-employers-and-0.The final report, due to be published later this year, will inform the Government’s response.

Work Experience

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in response to the finding on page 99 of the Final Report of the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions that internships operate as part of an informal economy where opportunities depend on personal contacts rather than ability.

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government has taken in response to the recommendation in the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission's report, State of the Nation 2014: Social Mobility and Child Poverty in Great Britain, published in October 2014, that unpaid internships should be eliminated by 2020.

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in response to the finding in the Institute for Public Policy Research's report, Why Interns Need a Fair Wage, published in July 2010, that the system of unpaid internships excludes young people who come from less well-off families and ensures that certain industries and professions continue to be dominated from particular backgrounds, perpetuating inequality and dampening opportunities for social mobility.

Nick Boles: The Government believes in fair wages for fair work and opportunity for all. When an intern meets the legal definition of a worker they must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. We actively promote fair and open access to paid internships through the BIS-funded Graduate Talent Pool, and our Social Mobility Business Compact and Common Best Practice Code for High Quality Internships ask employers to ensure that any internships they offer are advertised openly and transparently and are paid fairly. We have also made it simpler to name and shame employers that do not comply with national minimum wage regulations and, in addition, complaints from interns are now fast-tracked by HMRC.

Universities: Greater London

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the contribution of UK university satellite campuses in London to the economy.

Joseph Johnson: The economic impact of universities on local areas was estimated in a report by Universities UK published in 2014 entitled “The economic impact of higher education institutions in England”. Information is not disaggregated for specific providers or campuses, although several universities have undertaken individual studies of their impact on their local area.The report can be viewed at the following link:http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/highereducation/Documents/2014/TheEconomicImpactOfHEIsInEngland.pdf

Universities: Greater London

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has plans to regulate or limit the ability of UK universities to establish satellite campuses in London.

Joseph Johnson: A Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) inquiry into satellite campuses was published in December 2014. In light of this report, tighter controls were introduced for Higher Education Tier 4 sponsors, setting out requirements for sponsorship across multiple sites, and clamping down on inappropriate promotion of work rights. This came into effect from April 2015. The Department continues to work with QAA and the higher education sector to ensure standards are maintained.

Universities: Greater London

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of UK universities operating satellite campuses in London.

Joseph Johnson: A thematic enquiry into the quality and standards of higher education at the London campuses of universities located in other parts of the UK was published by The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) in 2014. The report identified 13 UK universities with operational London campuses.The report can be viewed at the following link:http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/London-campuses-of-UK-universities.pdf

Pyramid Selling

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to better identify pyramid schemes involving UK nationals; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: The Department has no plans to identify pyramid selling schemes.The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) regulate how traders market and promote goods and services to consumers by prohibiting unfair commercial practices, such as the use of misleading actions or aggressive commercial practices. Establishing, operating or promoting a Pyramid scheme, where the intention is that a consumer receives compensation primarily from the introduction of other consumers into the scheme, rather than from the sale or consumption of products, is a banned practice under the CPRs. Enforcement of the CPRs is by local authority trading standards services.Alleged breaches of the CPRs should be reported, in the first instance, to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06 (https://www.adviceguide.org.uk/). The helpline offers a free service advising consumers on their rights and passes on details of complaints to Trading Standards services where appropriate.

Employment: English Language

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of reduction in funding to English for Speakers of Other Languages Mandation Courses on the level of employment among people for whom English is an additional language.

Nick Boles: The decision to withdraw the 2015/16 English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Plus (Mandation) funding was taken in the knowledge that providers could use their adult skills budget to continue to provide ESOL training for jobseekers and therefore mitigate any adverse impact. Our data showed that the numbers of claimants being referred to ESOL Plus (Mandation) provision was significantly lower than originally anticipated.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fines

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many financial penalties have been imposed on respondent employers under section 16 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 to date; and how many such penalties (a) have been paid and (b) remain unpaid.

Nick Boles: Eight financial penalties have been imposed on employers for aggravated breach of employment law, under section 16 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, since its introduction on 6 April 2014.To date, two penalties have been paid and six remain unpaid although all penalties were imposed this year and further action is being considered.

Living Wage

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to increase the proportion of people whose earnings are above the living wage.

Nick Boles: The Department is introducing the National Living Wage in April 2016, which will be the legal minimum wage for those over 25. It will be set at £7.20 per hour, and the Low Pay Commission will advise on the increases each year towards the ambition that it reaches 60% of median earnings by 2020.The Office of Budget Responsibility estimates that by 2020 it will benefit 2.7 million workers directly and up to a total of 6 million workers could see a pay rise as a result of a ripple effect up the earnings distribution. The Government also supports those employers who can afford to pay more.

Apprentices

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many of his Department's target of three million apprenticeship starts by 2020 he expects to be at Level 3 and above.

Nick Boles: Targets have not been set for apprenticeships at specific levels.New apprenticeships standards are being designed by groups of employers as part of our reforms, through the Trailblazers, to meet their needs. These standards reflect the skills, knowledge and behaviours at whatever level is required to undertake the chosen occupation competently and to operate confidently within the sector.We will continue to grow apprenticeships at Higher (Level 4) and Degree levels. These are widening access to the professions and providing the higher level technical skills that employers need to improve productivity and give young people an equally valid career route as going to university.

Motor Vehicles: Safety

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the report Comparing Motor-Vehicle Crash Risk of EU and US Vehicles, published in May 2015; and what the implications of that report are for the TTIP negotiations.

Anna Soubry: More closely aligning the regulations for the EU and US through the EU-US Free Trade Agreement could lead to an increase in UK automotive exports to the US by up to 25%. EU and US regulators, including representatives from the UK, are assessing the report as part of the broader analysis to identify which regulations have similar overall outcomes on safety. Negotiators will seek to agree areas for mutual recognition, without compromising EU safety standards.

Sunday Trading

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer to Question 10161 of 22 September 2015, on Sunday trading, when he plans to publish the results of the Family Test.

Anna Soubry: Pursuant to the answer given to Question 10161 of 22 September 2015, we still anticipate that the results of the Family Test will be published alongside the Government’s response to the consultation.

Iron and Steel: Redcar

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what financial and other assistance his Department is giving to suppliers of SSI in Redcar.

Anna Soubry: The Government has announced a support package, worth up to £80m, to support workers affected by SSI’s closure and invest in the future of the Tees Valley economy. This will include support for local businesses and the supply chain working closely with the Government appointed local taskforce on how best to target money and resources.In addition, HMRC has a track record of helping individuals and business which are experiencing a genuine short term difficulty in paying their tax liabilities. Where appropriate HMRC will agree a payment arrangement to allow the customer some breathing space to get their tax affairs back up to date. Details are available on the websiteProblems Payingor affected customers should ring theBusiness Payment Support Service (BPSS) on0300 200 3835.

Iron and Steel: Redcar

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs at risk in the supply chain and wider economy of Redcar as a result of the closure of the SSI steelworks.

Anna Soubry: There will undoubtedly be a significant impact on SSI’s supply chain and the local economy following its closure. That is why the Government has announced a package, worth up to £80m, to support the individuals affected and invest in the future of the Tees Valley economy.We are working with the local Task Force that Government established to understand the impacts of SSI’s closure, including on its supply chain and the Tees Valley economy, and develop tailored proposals to mitigate this.For example, a specific supply chain event has been organised by the Teesside Engineering Network (TEN) is being held on Friday 23rd October at Redcar and Cleveland Leisure and Community Heart.

New Businesses: Mid Worcestershire

Nigel Huddleston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the Government has provided in Start Up Loans in Mid Worcestershire constituency since their creation.

Anna Soubry: Up to the end of September 2015, 20 Start-Up Loans have been issued in the Mid Worcestershire constituency at a value of £107,810.

Postgraduate Education

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the reasons are for his proposal to exclude taught masters students who are over the age of 30 from the new postgraduate loans scheme proposed for England.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the reasons are for the proposed exclusion from the new postgraduate loans scheme proposed for England of taught masters students who are studying via distance learning at a minimum of 50 per cent intensity.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the reasons are for the proposal to include in the new postgraduate loans scheme proposed for England part-time taught masters students studying at a minimum of 50 per cent intensity not via distance learning.

Joseph Johnson: A consultation on the proposed postgraduate Master’s loan scheme was held earlier in the year. The consultation covered proposed terms and conditions, including an age eligibility criterion and the eligibility of distance learning. Consultation responses are currently being analysed and the Department will respond in the autumn.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the total cost to the public purse was of the disability students' allowance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people have received the disability students' allowance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: Information on students awarded and paid Disabled Students’ Allowance is published annually by Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education England’. The latest statistics are available at the following link: http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspxPayments to full-time undergraduate students are presented in table 3b on page 21 and payments to part-time undergraduates and postgraduates in tables 5a and 5b on page 31.

Department for International Development

Syria: Refugees

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how UK aid has been used to assist refugees near the Syrian border to date; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region and has pledged over £1.1 billion to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We have allocated £559 million to support refugees in the region and £561 million to support those in need inside Syria.Our support has reached hundreds of thousands of people in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. By the end of June 2015, our support in Syria and the region had delivered almost 20 million food rations, provided over 2.5 million medical consultations and resulted in over 7.2 million instances when people benefited from sanitation and hygiene activities.The UK prioritises its assistance according to where needs are greatest, and works with trusted humanitarian organisations to assist the most vulnerable populations in hard-to-reach areas.

Department for Education

Free School Meals

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the uptake of free school meals.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We are working to encourage all families who meet the current criteria toregisterfor free school meals.We want disadvantaged children to benefit from a nutritious meal, and also for their schools to receive additional funding through the pupil premium to help raise disadvantaged pupils' attainment.The Department for Education’s eligibility checking system, used by local authorities, has made it much easier and quicker to check anonymously which families are entitled to free school meals.The department has published a registration form to help schools to identify pupils who are entitled to free school meals and the pupil premium. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-and-pupil-premium-registration-form

Free School Meals

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing automatic enrolment of children entitled to free school meals.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We want to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to check eligibility for free school meals (FSM). Under existing legislative arrangements, a claim for FSM must be made by or on behalf of a pupil and this forms part of the eligibility process. Officials are exploring options for making the process of registering pupils for FSM more efficient.

Free School Meals: Health

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with (a) headteachers, (b) teaching unions and (c) children's charities on the effect of universal infant free school meals on pupil wellbeing.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education has heard about the benefits of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) on pupil wellbeing from a wide range of stakeholders. Throughout the development and implementation of UIFSM, my officials have regularly engaged with representatives from teaching unions, local authorities, food experts and children’s charities.

Children: Day Care

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to include food provision in its recently announced wraparound childcare policy during (a) term time and (b) non-term time.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of including food provisions in the Government's recently announced wraparound childcare policy for children eligible for free school meals during (a) term time and (b) non-term time childcare.

Mr Sam Gyimah: When a school receives requests from parents for wraparound and/or holiday childcare, it will be for the school to decide what sort of service they can offer and whether the offer will include provision of food. Similarly, it will be for childcare providers to decide whether or not they include the provision of food when they request use of a school’s facilities.

Free School Meals: Pupil Premium

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the roll-out if the universal infant free school meals programme on the allocation of pupil premium money to schools.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The pupil premium is additional school funding to help raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. Pupils attract the funding if they have been registered for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last six years, or if they are looked after; or have left care in England or Wales through adoption or other specified routes.The Department for Education has ensured support for schools since the September 2014 roll out of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM), including in relation to FSM registration of their infant pupils. The Department also monitors school census data on FSM registration since September 2014.For the financial year 2015-16, pupil premium allocations to schools take account of the number of pupils recorded as registered for FSM in the period covered by January 2015 school census. Data from the January 2015 census indicates that the proportion of pupils eligible for and claiming FSM has dropped across all age groups, and FSM registration rates among infant-age pupils do not appear to have been adversely affected by the introduction of UIFSM.

Education: Standards

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the correlation between levels of achievement at Level 4 in (a) reading and (b) mathematics and national average scores in those subjects at GCSE level.

Nick Gibb: The standards reached at the end of primary school have a strong correlation with a pupil’s achievement at GCSE. The 2014 GCSE results show that only 22% of pupils who achieved the minimum expected standard (level 4c) at the end of KS2 went on to achieve 5 good GCSEs including English and Maths, whereas 73% of pupils who achieved above the expected level (above level 4c) went on to do so. It is for this reason that we have put in place a new higher expected standard for the end of primary school, helping to ensure that pupils are better prepared for secondary school.The data showing the relationships between attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 and attainment at the end of Key stage 4 can be found in the 2014 Key Stage 2 to 4 National subject transition matrices (unamended) in the RAISEonline library: https://www.raiseonline.org/documentlibrary/ViewDocumentLibrary.aspx

Free School Meals

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of new (a) kitchen and (b) other lunchtime staff who have been employed as a result of the roll-out of universal infant free school meals.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of new kitchen or lunchtime staff employed as a result of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM), or on the total number of schools that have acquired new kitchens and dining halls to provide UIFSM since September 2014.The government has provided significant support for schools to improve kitchen and dining room facilities for their infant pupils. We have allocated £184.5 million capital funding in total specifically for this purpose, and an additional £32.5 million UIFSM funding to support small schools in improving their infant meal provision, which can be used to purchase equipment or fund minor capital works.

Primary Education: Free School Meals

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of schools that have acquired (a) new kitchens and (b) new dining halls to provide universal infant free school meals since September 2014.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of new kitchen or lunchtime staff employed as a result of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM), or on the total number of schools that have acquired new kitchens and dining halls to provide UIFSM since September 2014.The government has provided significant support for schools to improve kitchen and dining room facilities for their infant pupils. We have allocated £184.5 million capital funding in total specifically for this purpose, and an additional £32.5 million UIFSM funding to support small schools in improving their infant meal provision, which can be used to purchase equipment or fund minor capital works.

Primary Education: Free School Meals

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to change its policy on free school meal provision for infant school pupils.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The continuation of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) was a commitment in the Conservative Party’s election manifesto. The government is currently conducting a Spending Review across all its programmes.

Schools: Citizenship

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has asked Ofsted to inspect and report on how well schools are providing citizenship as part of the revised inspection framework with its focus on British Values, the Prevent duty and SMSC.

Nick Gibb: Individual subjects are not inspected by Ofsted inspectors. Ofsted do, however, look at factors that relate to citizenship, including Fundamental British Values (FBV) and Spiritual Moral Social Cultural (SMSC).Citizenship education is in the national curriculum at key stages 3 and 4 and helps young people to prepare to play a full part in society, informed by a sound understanding of what it means to be a responsible citizen. As a result of the national curriculum review, the government has revised the programmes of study in order to direct teaching towards the core knowledge and to give schools more scope to decide how to teach citizenship. Pupils also learn about democracy, government and how laws are made and upheld. Teaching should equip pupils to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, to debate, and to make reasoned arguments. It should also prepare them to take their place in society as responsible citizens.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Buildings

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on maintenance or improvement of courts which have been scheduled to be closed in the last five years; and what costs were incurred in planning future improvements to those courts which will now be written off.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Three courts – Rhyl County Court, Abergavenny Magistrates’ Court and Caerphilly Magistrates’ Court – have previously been announced for closure and are yet to close. Any work undertaken on them has been necessary for the courts to function, such as essential maintenance and making the buildings suitable for disabled access. Resource maintenance and capital expenditure is in the attached table.



Cost of Maintenance & Improvement of Courts
(Excel SpreadSheet, 36 KB)

Pornography

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Obscene Publications Act 1959 to make possession of obscene publications an either way offence rather than summary only offence; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Obscene Publications Act 1959 to remove the time limit for prosecution of obscene publications; and if he will make a statement.

Mike Penning: The offence of publishing an obscene article under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 is triable either way, with a maximum custodial penalty of six months on summary conviction or five years on conviction on indictment. The Government has no current plans to amend it but is happy to consider relevant evidence.

Female Offenders Advisory Board

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2015 to Question 8612, on female offenders, if he will publish the updated membership and terms of reference of the Advisory Board on Female Offenders.

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2015 to Question 8612, on female offenders, what steps he is taking to ensure that addressing domestic abuse as a factor associated with offending by women remains a core part of the work of the Advisory Board on Female Offenders.

Caroline Dinenage: The Terms of Reference for the Advisory Board on Female Offenders and its updated membership are set out below.Board members have considerable understanding of and expertise in addressing factors underlying women’s offending, including domestic abuse, and will take full account of these as the Board takes forward its programme of work.



ABFO Membership and Terms of Reference
(Word Document, 30 KB)

Wills

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance is provided to the public on preparing a will and testament.

Dominic Raab: General guidance on making a will is available at https://www.gov.uk/make-will and advice, if required, can be sought from professional legal advisors. Responsibility for the law relating to wills in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland and guidance is available at http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/making-a-will.

Ministry of Justice: Legal Opinion

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by his Department were in 2013; and to whom such payments were made.

Mr Shailesh Vara: It would incur a disproportionate cost to obtain this information.

Cannabis: Sentencing

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people are currently detained in UK prisons for cannabis-related offences.

Andrew Selous: As at 30 June 2015 (latest date for which information is available), the number of offenders in prisons in England and Wales for cannabis related offences was 1,363.Information on Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive respectively.These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Employment Tribunals Service

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what change there has been in the number of employment tribunal claims since the introduction of employment tribunal fees in July 2013.

Mr Shailesh Vara: This information is published online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.

Witnesses: Video Recordings

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to complete the evaluation of the pilots of section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: A report is being prepared for publication, subject to standard quality assurance checks.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Procurement

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement by the Minister for Courts and Legal Aid, of 15 October 2015, HCWS 239, on HM Courts and Tribunals Service, if he will initialise an internal review into the decision to discontinue the procurement competition referred to in the statement, with a view to subsequent publication of that review.

Mr Shailesh Vara: There are currently no plans to initiate an internal review.

Ministry of Defence

Tornado Aircraft

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, under what circumstances RAF Tornado squadrons will be kept in service after 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: The planned out of service date for Tornado GR4 is 2019.

Army: Recruitment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) target and (b) outturn was for (i) regular Army and (ii) Army Reserve recruitment in financial years 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Mr Julian Brazier: Defence Statistics publish information on a regular basis showing intake figures for the Armed Forces, including the Army and Army Reserve. The most recent information is contained in ‘UK Armed Forces Monthly Service Personnel Statistics September 2015’ and associated tables which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-armed-forces-monthly-service-personnel-statistics-indexRecruiting targets for the Army Reserve for 2014-15 onwards were defined in the Future Reserve 2020 paper, which was placed in the Library of the House on 19 December 2013, (reference DEP2013-2063) and are still valid. I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State for Defence the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) on 19 December 2013 (Official Report column 121WS). Figures for earlier years may be found in the most recent Quarterly Performance Report which can be found at the following linkhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-quarterly-personnel-report-2015Official statistics for Regular recruitment targets which may be meanfully compared to the official intake statistics are not produced.A summary of regular Army intake for the period in question is as follows, Army Reserve intake is shown from 2012-13 onwards as due to a lack of validated figures prior to 2012 it is not possible to include figures before that period, recruitment targets were not set until October 2013 following the publication of the Reserves White paper:Army Reserve2012-132013-142014-15TargetActualTargetActualTargetActual-3960-296049005210Regular Army2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15ActualActualActualActualActual8760111901030070208160All totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Those numbers ending in ‘5’ have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 in order to avoid systematic bias.

Army

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of the 2015-16 Army Demand Plan.

Penny Mordaunt: The demand plan is an internal note setting out the Army's intake requirement for the Recruitment Partnership Programme contract for the forthcoming year, as required by the contract. It includes commercially sensitive information. Ministry of Defence officials are currently considering whether a redacted version of the plan can be placed in the Library of the House.

Army: Recruitment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of the interim performance regime for the Army Recruiting Partnership Project.

Penny Mordaunt: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Army: Recruitment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library an unredacted copy of Schedule 18 of the Army Recruiting Partnership Project contract with Capita.

Penny Mordaunt: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Armed Forces: Location

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list those armed forces units that have been relocated under the Army 2020 structure.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the right hon. Member to the statement made by the then Defence Secretary, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) on 5 March 2013 (Official Report: column 845) which set out the moves that would be required by Army units to deliver the Army 2020 structure. The units that have been relocated thus far are shown below:Unit TitleOriginal Location/BksFinal Location/BksHeadquarters 8 Engineer BrigadeTrenchard Lines, Upavon, UKGibraltar Barracks, Minley, UK215 Signal Squadron, 21st Signal Regiment, (1 Brigade Signals Squadron)Aliwal Barracks, Tidworth, UKAzimghur Barracks, Colerne, UK2nd Battalion the MERCIAN RegimentPalace Barracks, Belfast, UKDale Barracks, Chester, UK241 Signal Squadron, 10 Signal RegimentAzimghur Barracks, Colerne, UKSt Davids Barracks, Bicester, UK1st Battalion The Royal Anglian RegimentPicton Barracks, Bulford, UKRoyal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, UKBalaclava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders)Howe Barracks, Canterbury, UKRedford Barracks, Edinburgh, UK1st Battalion The MERCIAN RegimentMarne Barracks, Catterick, UKPicton Barracks, Bulford, UK3rd Battalion The RIFLESRedford Barracks, Edinburgh, UKDreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh, UKMilitary Stabilisation Support GroupLarkhill Barracks, Larkhill, UKDenison Barracks, Hermitage, UK47 Regiment Royal ArtilleryBaker Barracks, Thorney Island, UKRoberts Barracks, Larkhill, UKThe Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of ScotlandDreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh, UKPalace Barracks, Belfast, UK2nd Battalion The RiflesAbercorn Barracks, Ballykinler, UKThiepval, Lisburn, UK16th Regiment Royal ArtillerySt Georges Barracks, N Luffenham, UKBaker Barracks, Thorney Island, UK3 Medical RegimentGaza Barracks, Catterick, UKFulwood Barracks, Preston, UK65 Field Support Squadron Royal Engineers, 39 Engineer RegimentGordon Barracks, Hameln, GEKinloss Barracks, Kinloss, UKHeadquaters 1 Artillery Brigade & Headquaters South WestTrenchard Lines, Upavon (Element), UKAliwal Barracks, Tidworth, UK1st Battalion Welsh GuardsCavalry Barracks, Hounslow, UKElizabeth Barracks, Pirbright, UK3rd Regiment Royal Horse ArtilleryCaen Barracks, Hohne, GEAlbemarle Barracks, Harlow Hill, UK2 Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical EngineersSt Barbara Barracks, Fallingbostel, GELeuchars Barracks, Leuchars Station, UK1st (United Kingdom) Division HeadquatersHammersmith Barracks, Herford, GEImphal Barracks, York, UK1 Medical RegimentHaig Barracks, Hohne, GEDempsey Barracks, Sennelager, GE1st Battalion Irish GuardsMons Barracks, Aldershot, UKCavalry Barracks, Hounslow, UK1st Battalion Scots GuardsBourlon Barracks, Catterick, UKMons Barracks, Aldershot, UK4th Battalion The RiflesKiwi Barracks, Bulford, UKNew Normandy Barracks, Aldershot, UKThe Light DragoonsRobertson Barracks, Swanton Morley UKGaza Barracks, Catterick, UK22 Field HospitalNormandy Barracks, Aldershot, UKKeogh Barracks, Aldershot, UK4 Armoured Medical RegimentNormandy Barracks, Aldershot, UKKeogh Barracks, Aldershot, UKMinistry of Defence Hospital Unit, Frimley ParkNormandy Barracks, Aldershot, UKKeogh Barracks, Aldershot, UK1 Military Intelligence Battalion; Headquaters Company, 11, 14 & 15 CompanyElmpt/Hohne/Sennelager. GEBourlon Barracks, Catterick, UK1 Military Working Dogs; Regimental HeadquartersNormandy Barracks, Sennelager, GESt Georges Barracks, N Luffenham, UK2 Medical RegimentGlynn Hughes Barracks, Hohne, GESt Georges Barracks, N Luffenham, UK32 Engineer RegimentCampbell Barracks, Hohne, GEMarne Barracks, Catterick, UKThe Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of ScotlandSt Barbara Barracks, Fallingbostel, GEBourlon Barracks, Catterick, UKHeadquarters 102 Logistic BrigadePrincess Royal Barracks, Gutersloh, GEPrince William Barracks, Grantham, UK1st The Queen’s Dragoon GuardsDempsey Barracks, Sennelager, GERobertson Barracks, Swanton Morley, UKRegimental Headquarters 1st Regiment Royal Military PoliceWentworth Barracks, Herford, GEGaza Barracks, Catterick, UKThe Royal Scots Dragoon GuardsWessex Barracks, Fallingbostel, GELeuchars Barracks, Leuchars, UK110 Provost Company, 1st Regiment Royal Military PoliceNormandy Barracks, Sennelager, GELeuchars Barracks, Leuchars, UK628 Signal Troop, 1 NATO Signal BattalionJavelin Barracks, Elmpt, GEBlandford Garrison, Blandford, UK1 Logistic Support RegimentPrincess Royal Barracks, Gutersloh, GESt Davids Barracks, Bicester, UK1st Signal RegimentHammersmith Barracks, Herford, GEBeacon Barracks, Stafford, UK16th Signal RegmientJavelin Barracks, Elmpt GEBeacon Barracks, Stafford, UK



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Army: Recruitment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the Army Recruiting Partnership Project to achieve full operating capacity; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) planned and (b) actual savings to his Department were under the Army Recruiting Partnership Project in each financial year between 2012-13 and 2014-15.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned savings are to his Department under the Army Recruiting Partnership Project in each financial year between 2015-16 and 2022-23.

Penny Mordaunt: The Army is delivering its recruiting operations in partnership with Capita through the Recruiting Partnering Project (RPP). In January 2014 a number of steps were taken by the Ministry of Defence to improve recruiting performance. These were set out by the former Defence Secretary, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond) in his statement on 14 January 2014 (Official Report, column 715). Since that statement, good progress has been made and a number of criteria for the achievement of Full Operating Capability have been met, but the go-live date for the ICT system has been delayed and is now scheduled for no later than April 2016.The financial benefits of the RPP are measured by comparing the cost of operating the service compared with the original financial baseline used by the project. Actual versus planned savings for the financial years (FY) 2012-13 to 2014-15 are as follows:Savings (£ million)2012-132013-142014-15Planned-3.420.632.4Actual40.9-4.9-43.3Capita has been subject to the full contractual performance regime since the end of July 2015, and is now responsible for all interim costs until the new ICT solution is delivered. Forecast benefits across the life of the project have now reduced to around £220 million. The project costs remain within the original approval.The revised planned savings to be delivered under RPP between FY 2015-16 and 2021-22 are now as follows:Savings (£ million)2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-22Planned-13.019.033.939.445.554.338.3These figures correct those in the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Reserves (Julian Brazier) on 16 March 2015 to Question 225513, to the right hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Jeffrey M. Donaldson).

Air Force: Redundancy

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Air Force personnel of each (a) rank and (b) skill or trade left that service through (i) voluntary redundancy, (ii) involuntary redundancy, (iii) voluntary exit and (iv) involuntary exit in each financial year between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many army personnel of each (a) rank and (b) skill or trade left that service through (i) voluntary redundancy, (ii) involuntary redundancy, (iii) voluntary exit and (iv) involuntary exit in each financial year between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many naval personnel of each (a) rank and (b) skill or trade left that service through (i) voluntary redundancy, (ii) involuntary redundancy, (iii) voluntary exit and (d) involuntary exit in each financial year between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Mark Lancaster: The majority of the information requested is shown in the attached tables. However, a breakdown of UK Regular Armed Forces personnel who left their Service on voluntary or involuntary redundancy terms is not currently held in the format requested. Ministry of Defence officials will investigate whether this can be provided without incurring disproportionate cost and I will write to the right hon. Member shortly.An explanation of the NATO Rank Code system used by Defence Statistics is available at this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/357724/tri_service_personnel_bulletin_2_01_2014.pdf#page=35



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Ministry of Defence: Oman

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) civilian and (b) military personnel of his Department are based in (a) Oman and (b) the Duqm Port facility.

Mark Lancaster: There are around 195 military personnel based in Oman, including at the Defence section within the British Embassy in Muscat; personnel on Loan Service to the Omani Armed Forces; and others on temporary assignments in the region. These numbers change on a daily basis according to the tasks assigned. There are no Ministry of Defence civilian personnel based in Oman.No personnel are based at the Duqm port facility.

Warships

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where his Department plans to base (a) HMS Forth, (b) HMS Medway and (c) HMS Trent.

Mr Philip Dunne: The base-port of the three new Offshore Patrol Vessels, HMS Forth, HMS Medway and HMS Trent will be subject to the forthcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Army Reserve: Recruitment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Army Reserve recruitment target for (a) new recruits and (b) trained entrants is in financial years between 2015-16 and 2019-20.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the target is for (a) regular Army and (b) Army Reserve recruitment in each financial year between 2015-16 and 2019-20.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the anticipated personnel (a) inflow and (b) outflow in each (i) rank and (ii) skill or trade in the regular Army over the next 10 years.

Penny Mordaunt: Army Reserve recruitment targets for Financial Year 2015-16 to 2018-19, broken down by trained entrants and new recruits are contained within The Future Reserves 2020 paper which was placed in the Library of the House on 19 December 2013 , (reference number DEP2013-2063) and is still valid. I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State for Defence the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) on 19 December 2013 (Official Report column 124WS). There are no targets currently set for year 2019-20.Requirements for Regular intake to the trained strength are provisionally set for three years in advance but are subject to change. This requirement underpins the recruitment target. The Army Recruitment and Training Division recruitment target for 2015-16 is 10,025 (this figure does not include Gurkhas). Not all of those recruited will successfully complete training to intake into the trained strength. It is not possible to give recruiting targets beyond Financial Year 2015-16 as intake requirements beyond the forthcoming year are subject to constant review and amendment.The following tables detail provisional requirements for trained intake to the Regular Army by Cap-badge. All targets remain under constant review. Intake requirements are produced on a rolling basis and have not yet been confirmed beyond financial year 2018-19.Requirements for trained Soldier intake into the Regular trained strengthCap badge2015-16 Requirement2016-17 Requirement2017-18 Requirement2018-19 RequirementRoyal Armoured Corps485525550550Royal Artillery635654600570Royal Engineers666699674720Royal Signals535572575560Infantry2,1942,3502,3502,350Royal Logistic Corps1,0671,1021,0831,083Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers562663709709Adjutant General’s Corps (Staff Personnel Support)230268269223Adjutant General’s Corps (Royal Military Police)9999110110Army Air Corps120120120120Intelligence Corps110125143144Royal Army Medical Corps223233207196Royal Army Dental Corps17151111Royal Army Veterinary Corps30303030Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps66666666Corps Army Music63929292Total7,1027,6137,5897,534Requirements for direct entry Commissioned Officer intake into the Regular trained strengthCap badge2015-16 Requirement2016-17 Requirement2017-18 Requirement2018-19 RequirementRoyal Armoured Corps45444545Royal Artillery53535651Royal Engineers64646464Royal Signals39394343Infantry137137137137Army Air Corps25303030Royal Logistic Corps64696964Royal Army Medical Corps18191717Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers40404545Adjutant General’s Corps (Royal Military Police)13161614Adjutant General’s Corps (Staff Personnel Support)20242424Adjutant General’s Corps (Educational Training Services)18202020Intelligence Corps21242424Total557579590578Requirements for professionally qualified officer intake into the regular trained strengthCap badge2015-16 Requirement2016-17 Requirement2017-18 Requirement2018-19 RequirementRoyal Army Chaplains Department10101010Royal Army Medical Corps Professionally Qualified Officer43383838Adjutant General’s Corps(Army Legal Services)7777Royal Army Dental Corps6666Royal Army Veterinary Corps4445Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps22222222Total92878788In addition intake requirements for Regular to Regular Re-joiners are:Financial Year2015-16 Requirement2016-17 Requirement2017-18 Requirement2018-19 RequirementRegular to Regular Re-joiners250290340250Outflow estimates are calculated twice a year. The outflow estimate for financial year 2015-16 is 8,920, 1,050 Officers and 7,870 Other Ranks (excluding Gurkhas). Outflow estimates are not endorsed beyond the current financial year, and are not broken down by skill or trade. Outflow is subject to a large number of internal and external factors and is reviewed regularly.Intake and outflow figures are single service estimates and have not been produced by Defence Statistics.



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Queen Victoria School

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual budget is for running Queen Victoria School in Dunblane; and from what part of the Defence budget that funding is allocated.

Mark Lancaster: The Queen Victoria School is funded by the Army Top Level Budget. The annual net budget for financial year (FY) 2014-15 was £4.2 million. An additional £0.5 million income is also received from parental contributions and commercial use of the facilities. Running costs for FY 2014-15 which are funded by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation Top Level Budget were approximately £1.2 million including rates, utilities and maintenance

Armed Forces: Private Education

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent in Continuity of Education Allowance in independent schools in Scotland in financial year 2014-15; how many children were in receipt of Continuity of Education Allowance in Scottish schools in that year; and in which five schools had the highest Continuity of Education Allowance spend in Scotland in that year.

Mark Lancaster: The total amount spent on Continuity of Education Allowance in independent schools in Scotland for financial year 2014-15 was £2,396,830 which has reduced from £3,647,810 for financial year 2008-09. 173 children were in receipt of Continuity of Education Allowance in Scottish schools for financial year 2014-15. The table below shows which five schools had the highest Continuity of Education Allowance spend in Scotland for that year.SchoolFettes College - EdinburghStrathallan School - ForgandennyLomond School - HelensburghMary Erskine & Syewart Melville CollegeGordonstoun School - ElginIn line with Departmental Policy, all figures of five or more have been rounded to the nearest five.

NATO: Military Exercises

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) assets and (b) personnel of his Department took part in NATO Exercise Northern Coasts.

Mr Julian Brazier: HMS GRIMSBY (43 personnel), as part of the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1 Task Group, took part in Ex Northern Coast off the coast of Denmark from 15-25 September 2015.

HMS Forth

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the origin was of the steel cut for the hull of HMS Forth.

Mr Philip Dunne: The steel for HMS Forth (as well as HMS Medway and HMS Trent) is sourced via Dent Steel Services (Yorkshire), who conduct shot blasting and priming, from SSAB of Stockholm (previously 'Swedish Steel') who are able to supply the grade of steel necessary for this application.

Tornado Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2015 to Question 794, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report cited in paragraph 3 of document D/VCDS&2ndPUS/8/1/4 PR11.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has no record of the report cited in paragraph three of the document reference D/VCDS&2ndPUS/8/1/4 PR11 existing. It is assessed the relevant issue was dealt with before any report was written. There is therefore no copy available to be placed in the Library of the House.

Reserve Forces: Northern Ireland

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people resident in Northern Ireland have been members of the reserve forces in each of the last five years.

Mr Julian Brazier: The information is not held in the format requested. However the table below shows, where available, the estimated number of people who have been members of the Reserve Forces in Northern Ireland as of 1 April in each of the last four years.SERVICE YEAR 2012201320142015Maritime Reservesee note100100100Army Reserve1,7401,6801,6501,760Royal Air Force Reservesee note-2080Note – information not available.- = zero or rounded to zeroThe Future Reserves 20 Volunteer Reserve population includes mobilised Volunteer Reserves, High Readiness Reserves and those volunteer reserves serving on Full Time Reserve Service and Additional Duties Commitment.The figures are based on Service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence, where personnel work is not necessarily where they live.

Reserve Forces: Northern Ireland

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people resident in Northern Ireland have been recruited into the reserve forces in each of the last five years.

Mr Julian Brazier: The information is not held in the format requested. However the table below shows, where available, the estimated number of people recruited into the Reserve Forces in Northern Ireland in the last three financial years.SERVICE FINANCIAL YEAR 2012-132013-142014-15Maritime Reservesee note2020Army Reserve250150240Royal Air Force Reservesee note2060Note – information not available.The Future Reserves 20 Volunteer Reserve population includes mobilised Volunteer Reserves, High Readiness Reserves and those volunteer reserves serving on Full Time Reserve Service and Additional Duties Commitment.The figures are based on Service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence, where personnel work is not necessarily where they live.

Reserve Forces: Northern Ireland

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason his Department has not proposed a reserve experience event for a location in Northern Ireland in 2015.

Mr Julian Brazier: The Reserves Experience events are aimed specifically at “home” civil servants representing the direct employees of HM Government, rather than the general public. The events are staged in support of the Civil Service 1% Challenge which was launched in 2014 with the aim of recruiting 1% of civil servants to the Reserve Forces by the end of financial year 2018-19. To this end, a small number of Reserves Experience events have been designed to build awareness and understanding of the Reserves, and ultimately to drive recruitment opportunities, amongst civil servants at all levels.Although a specific Reserves Experience event was not planned for Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland based “home” civil servants will already be aware of the Reserve opportunity through an extant programme of engagement, as well as more general recruiting activity conducted throughout Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is already better recruited in terms of reservists per thousand population than the rest of the UK.

Armed Forces

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which armed forces units have been (a) disbanded and (b) created under the Army 2020 structure.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the right hon. Member to the statement made by the then Defence Secretary, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) on 5 July 2012 regarding Army 2020 (Official Report, column 1085) and on the Army Reserve on 3 July 2013 (Official Report, column 50WS) which provided details of changes to the Army’s Order of Battle. Since then there have been a number of further changes to the Order of Battle; a full list is BELOW:A2020 UNITS DISBANDED AND CREATEDSerUnitRemarksUnits created1Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland25 Force Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers3105 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical EngineersReserve4106 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical EngineersReserve56 Military Intelligence BattalionReserve67 Military Intelligence BattalionReserve7Intelligence Corps Central Volunteer HQReserve8Specialist Group Military Intelligence9Medical Operational Support Group10Military Provost Staff Regiment11HQ 77 BrigadeInitially called the Stabilisation Assistance Group12HQ 7 Signal Group13HQ 2 Signal GroupUnits amalgamated141st and 2nd Royal Tank RegimentTo form The Royal Tank Regiment159/12 Lancers and Queen’s Royal LancersTo form The Royal Lancers161 and 9 Regiments Army Air CorpsTo form 1 Regiment Army Air Corps172nd and 3rd Battalions the Yorkshire RegimentTo form 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment1888 Postal Courier Regiment and 162 Postal Courier and Movement RegimentTo form 162 Postal Courier and Movement Regiment.191st and 2nd Battalions the Royal Regiment of FusiliersTo form 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers201st and 2nd Battalions the Royal Welsh RegimentTo form 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh Regiment213rd Battalion the Mercian RegimentTo merge with 1st and 2nd BattalionsUnits disbanded2239 Regiment Royal Artillery23100 Regiment Royal ArtilleryReserve2428 Engineer Regiment2572 Engineer RegimentReserve2673 Engineer RegimentReserve2723 Pioneer Regiment Royal Logistic Corps282 Logistic Support Regiment Royal Logistic Corps2912 Logistic Support Regiment Royal Logistics Corps30165 Port and Enabling Regiment Royal Logistics CorpsReserve31166 Supply Regiment Royal Logistics CorpsReserve32168 Pioneer Regiment Royal Logistics CorpsReserve335 Regiment Royal Military Police3467 Works Group Royal Engineers



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Army

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many army personnel of each (a) rank and (b) skill or trade transferred to the (i) Australian Defence Forces, (ii) Canadian Armed Forces, (iii) United States Army, (iv) New Zealand Army and (v) other overseas armed forces in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2014-15.

Mark Lancaster: This information is not held in the format requested.

Army: Scotland

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) trained strength and (b) trained requirement was for the (i) Royal Scots Borderers, (ii) Royal Highland Fusiliers, (iii) Black Watch, (iv) Highlanders, (v) Balaklava Company, (vi) 52nd Lowland Battalion and (vii) 51st Highland Battalion in each financial year between 2004-05 and 2014-15.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the then Secretary of State for Defence the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) on 3 September 2012 to Question 116317, to the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Baron) for the establishment and strength of the regular battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland up to 2012.The following table shows the manning levels of the regular battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, complete with establishment and strength as at April each year for 2013 and 2014.201320141 SCOTSEstablishment535469Strength4814872 SCOTSEstablishment528469Strength4965313 SCOTSEstablishment532473Strength4574994 SCOTSEstablishment598571Strength4555995 SCOTS/Balaklava CompanyEstablishment54793Strength45989The following table shows the manning levels of the reserve battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, complete with establishment and strength as at April of each year between 2004 and 2014.2004200520062007200820092010201120122013201452nd Lowland Regiment/6 SCOTS39245240640640640640640640640636727327828018221619019618615516018851st Highland Regiment/7 SCOTS 557656627471472471472472472472367390425424338294253262191237205270Unit details are single service estimates only and have not been produced by Defence Statistics.

Afghanistan: Prisoners' Release

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government reached an agreement with Afghan tribesmen for the person who made the bomb which killed Captain Lisa Head in April 2011 to be released from prison.

Penny Mordaunt: There is no evidence linking anyone conclusively to the death of Captain Lisa Head, and no such agreement was made with Afghan tribesmen.Where there was sufficient evidence against Afghan nationals detained by UK forces, they were handed over to the Afghan authorities for further investigation and prosecution. All individuals conclusively linked to the deaths of UK Service personnel have now been convicted by the Afghan authorities.

USA: Official Visits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what key policy aims he achieved during the recent visit to the UK by the US Secretary of Defense.

Michael Fallon: Secretary Carter and I discussed a range of issues including current operations, Russia, and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. We discussed ways in which we can further strengthen our collaboration and agreed to work together on a combined approach to defence innovation.

Iraq: Military Intervention

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK Tornadoes flying missions over Iraq are armed with heat-seeking air-to-air missile systems.

Penny Mordaunt: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Iraq: Military Intervention

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information the British Defence Attaché to Russia has provided to the Russian government on measures taken to ensure accidental engagement with Russian military aircraft flying in Iraqi airspace does not lead to engagement in military confrontation.

Michael Fallon: Russian military aircraft are not conducting combat operations in Iraqi airspace: The British Defence attache in Moscow has therefore provided no information to the Russian Government on this subject.

Army: Rules of Engagement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will review the Army's rules of engagement in response to the court martial of Sergeant Blackman.

Penny Mordaunt: There are no plans to review the Army's Rules of Engagement in response to the court martial of Sergeant Blackman. Rules of Engagement (ROE) are Operation not Service specific and set out the legal and policy constraints within which all UK forces must work. UK forces receive mandatory training in order to ensure that they understand the responsibilities and obligations placed on them by ROE profiles and UK and international law.

Army

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many regular soldiers he plans to maintain in each of the next three years.

Mr Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Reserves (Mr Brazier) on 20 July 2015 to Question number 7353 to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones).



Army
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Syria: Military Intervention

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his (a) Russian and (b) US counterparts on the extension of British airstrikes to Syria.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the potential for future UK airstrikes in Syria.

Michael Fallon: I have not held discussions with my Russian counterpart.I have regular conversations with my US counterpart on a range of subjects, including the campaign against ISIL, and most recently met him on 9 October 2015. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, there is a strong case to do more against ISIL in Syria, but the UK will not join Coalition air strikes against ISIL in Syria without the endorsement of Parliament.

Armed Forces: Foreign Nationals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of armed forces personnel originate from Commonwealth nations; and whether his Department plans to increase such numbers in future.

Mark Lancaster: As at 1 October 2014, 4% of our trained UK Regular Forces had a Commonwealth nationality. The Ministry of Defence is considering its approach to foreign and Commonwealth recruitment.

Somalia: Armed Forces

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) nature and (b) purpose is of the deployment of UK armed forces to Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: The UK currently has 20 Armed Forces personnel deployed in Mogadishu, Somalia. Those personnel are supporting a range of UN and EU Missions to provide training, mentoring, and logistical support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and develop the Somali National Army. The purpose of those Missions, and therefore our support, is to counter the terrorist threat from Al Shabaab and achieve security and stability within Somalia and the wider East Africa region. The total UK deployment includes a Defence Attache and Assistant DA at the British Embassy in Mogadishu.

Veterans: Mesothelioma

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with armed forces charities on the payment of lump sum compensation payments to veterans with mesothelioma; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Government has continuously made compensation available under the War Pensions Scheme (WPS) for injuries, illness or disease caused by service before 6 April 2005, including mesothelioma. The scheme provides veterans who have mesothelioma with the maximum income stream and additional supplementary allowances, and, where appropriate, entitlement to dependent's benefits.During the last Central Advisory Committee on Compensation (CAC) Meeting on 17 June ex-Service organisations were updated on our consideration of whether any flexibility could be provided for future mesothelioma claimants under the WPS. Detailed consideration has continued, including discussion with other Government Departments, and we expect to update the charities at the forthcoming CAC Meeting in December.

Islamic State

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what future plans his Department has to co-ordinate with the armed forces of the Russian Federation in tackling ISIS.

Michael Fallon: The UK is part of the Global Coalition against ISIL. Russia is not. We attach great importance to the US and Russian discussions on safe separation and air safety, and call on Russia to do all it can to minimise the risk to Coalition aircraft fighting ISIL.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons his Department applied a 1,500-character limit for individual submissions to his Department's consultation on the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Michael Fallon: The character limit was removed in August 2015. Individuals and organisations are, as ever, welcome to write to the Secretary of State, any of the other Strategic Defence and Security Review Departments or their Member of Parliament.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to lay a copy of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review before the House.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many submissions his Department has received to date from (a) hon. Members, (b) academics, (c) industry, (d) think tanks, (e) allies and partners, (f) non-governmental organisations and (g) the public on the forthcoming National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review documents.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence receives a very wide range of letters from interested groups and individuals, on the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Information on the breakdown of these could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many minority ethnic service personnel were recruited to each service (a) nationally and (b) in Gloucester in each of the last five years.

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) men and (b) women were recruited to each service through the Armed Forces Careers Office in Gloucester in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: The requested information is provided below:UK Regular Armed Forces Recruitment through the Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO) Gloucester by gender and Service, financial years (FY) 2010-11 to 2014-15.FY2010-11FY2011-12FY2012-13FY2013-14FY2014-15MaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemaleNaval Service50~50~60-60~60~Army40~40~60~40~50~RAF20~30~30~30~4010UK Regular Armed Forces Recruitment Nationally and through AFCO Gloucester, by Service and Self-Declared Black Asian or Minority Ethnicity, FYs 2010-11 to 2014-15.FY2010-11FY2011-12FY2012-13FY2013-14FY2014-15NationallyAFCO GlosNationallyAFCO GlosNationallyAFCO GlosNationallyAFCO GlosNationallyAFCO GlosNaval Service60-50-50~70~70-Army200-300-280~220~330~RAF40~30-40-40~70~Notes: Figures for the RAF (only) include recruitment of Officers and may include Commonwealth recruits. ‘~’ represents less than 10 and ‘-‘ represents zero. All numbers have been rounded and numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest 20 to avoid systematic bias.

Reserve Forces: Recruitment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that it reaches the target of 30,000 reservists by 2018.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that there are sufficient appropriately trained reserve forces to support regular service men and women to meet Force 2020 commitments.

Mr Julian Brazier: We have made a number of improvements to ensure we reach our target strength of 35,000 trained volunteer reservists by 31 March 2019. Central to this is an improved offer, which includes better training, better equipment, improved remuneration and an improved experience for reservists.We have also widened the opportunity for reservists to contribute on operations and established a new relationship with employers as well as improving the support available to employers when a reservist employee is mobilised.These actions are in addition to improving capacity and flow in the recruiting process and our marketing campaigns.As a result, more reservists are joining either as new entrants to the military or with prior experience either in the Regulars or in the Reserves. 8,370 joined in the 12 months to 1 September, a 70% rise on the equivalent period a year earlier and the trained strength has reached 25,720, ahead of target.

Defence: Expenditure

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on ensuring that all NATO member states achieve the target of two per cent of GDP spending on defence.

Michael Fallon: I discuss the pledge with NATO Allies regularly. Most recently I raised this at the October meeting of NATO Defence Ministers - at which the Czech Republic and Norway both confirmed a 10% increase in their budgets. I am confident that, by Warsaw, we will see real progress by other Allies in working to meet NATO's 2% guideline.

Armed Forces Covenant

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities uphold the Military Covenant.

Mark Lancaster: For information on this Department's engagement with Local Authorities on the Armed Forces Covenant I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 September 2015 to Question 8395 to the hon. Member for Northampton South (Mr Mackintosh).http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-09-04/8395/In addition, since I provided that answer I have also met with the Chairman of the Local Government Association and with the Minister for Housing and Planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). We are collectively planning to review the work undertaken by Local Authorities to deliver the Covenant and expect to complete this by March 2016. This will help to further identify best practice and where to target future work.The Minister for Housing and Planning will write to all Local Authorities setting out examples of best practice and reminding them of the need to honour their commitments under the Covenant. I will also address a conference of Local Authority Community Covenant Champions in London on 4 November 2015. I hope that members' Local Authority Armed Forces Covenant champions will be there.



20150910_QnA_Extract_on_AF_Covenant
(Word Document, 15.19 KB)

Navy: Foreign Nationals

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-UK overseas personnel the Royal Navy plans to recruit or loan from other countries' armed forces for each year up to 2020.

Penny Mordaunt: The Royal Navy has no plans to recruit from non-UK armed forces.We work closely with many nations and provide opportunities for their personnel to serve with the Royal Navy through a range of schemes, such as loans, exchanges and liaison postings. There are no set targets, and these are conducted on a case by case basis.

Air Force: Foreign Nationals

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-UK overseas personnel the RAF plans to recruit or loan from other countries' armed forces for each year up to 2020.

Penny Mordaunt: The RAF has no plans to recruit from non-UK armed forces. However, if individuals choose to apply to join the RAF their application will be considered on a case by case basis.The number of personnel on loan to the RAF from non-UK armed forces is based on the availability of opportunities and requirement at the time. Therefore there are no projected figures up to 2020.

Army: Foreign Nationals

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-UK armed forces personnel the army plans to recruit or loan for each year up until 2020.

Penny Mordaunt: The Army has no plans to recruit from non-UK armed forces. The Army supports a range of individual, short term, inbound and outbound attachments and exchanges with non-UK armed forces. There are no set targets; numbers vary each year depending on requirements and individual opportunities. Non-UK personnel on attachment or exchange to the Army are not included on strength

Armed Forces: Foreign Nationals

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-UK overseas armed forces personnel have been recruited or loaned by other countries to serve in the UK armed forces in the last five years; and how many such personnel hold which ranks in the UK armed forces.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-UK overseas armed forces personnel have been recruited or loaned from other countries' armed forces to serve in the UK armed forces over the last five years; and what were the countries of origin of those personnel.

Penny Mordaunt: The attached tables show the number of non-UK armed forces personnel by rank and nationality which have been recruited into the UK Regular Armed Forces.The information in respect of the number of non-UK armed forces personnel who have been loaned by other countries will take time to collate and I will write to the hon. Member shortly. 



Intake of NON-UK Personnel into UK Regular Forces
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19.19 KB)




Intake of Non Regular Forces Armed Forces
(Excel SpreadSheet, 15.78 KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is that pensioners currently in receipt of the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme have been claiming that benefit.

Justin Tomlinson: A reliable estimate is not available. Consistent data on SMI claims has only been collected since 1996 and durations of claims starting before then cannot be calculated.

Pensioners: Universal Credit

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners who will not be exempt from the size criteria of universal credit.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not available.

Department for Work and Pensions: Sick Leave

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many days were lost to sickness in his Department in each of the last 10 years.

Justin Tomlinson: We have greatly reduced sickness absence in DWP from an average of 11.1 days per employee eight years ago to just 6.4 days per employee now. This is below the figure for the public sector of 7.9 days on average per employee, which was independently reported by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development in its latest sickness absence report.The number of working days lost to sickness within the Department for Work and Pensions in each of the last 10 years is recorded in the following table. PeriodWorking Days Lost to Sickness AbsenceAverage Working Days Lost per Employee2014/15527,9616.52013/14620,1226.92012/13699,7317.42011/12671,4127.32010/11846,1688.12009/10911,8098.52008/09849,4488.92007/081,053,76810.12006/071,361,19611.120051,233,16210.1

Department for Work and Pensions: Job Satisfaction

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the morale of his Department's staff.

Justin Tomlinson: The morale of the Department’s staff is not measured although the related concept of Employee Engagement is measured regularly through the Department’s annual People Survey.The People Survey is conducted in the Autumn every year and we are currently in the middle of completing this year’s survey.Results will be available and made accessible to the public through the Gov.uk website in mid-November.Last year’s results can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397958/dwp-people-survey-2014.pdf

Department for Work and Pensions: Public Expenditure

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to expenditure on (a) DWP Administration, (b) the Government Equalities Office, (c) the Health and Safety  Executive, (d) the Work Welfare and Equalities Group and (e) the Working Age Client Group in the schedule of comparable programme objects in HM Treasury's publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, (i) how much of that expenditure in which locations was on (A) property and (B) personnel and (ii) how many people in which locations were employed through such expenditure between 2010 and 2015.

Priti Patel: The level of disaggregation is not readily available. DWP Expenditure for the years 2010-11 to 2014-15 is shown in the table below.DWP, Departmental Expenditure Limit Resource Outturn, £million2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15DWP9,1527,6247,4977,6157,152Of which:Health and Safety Executive (net)203175162155139Operational Delivery1,2942,4872,8652,8662,191Employment Programmes1,8148768021,037950More information is available in the Department’s report and accounts which are available at gov.uk. A link to the latest report is provided below:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015

Carers' Benefits

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support is available to people earning less than £110 per week net who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support is available to people earning at least £111 per week net who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support to meet caring needs is available for older people with a disability whose principal carer has net earnings of at least £111 per week.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support to meet caring needs is available for older people with a disability whose principal carer has net earnings of less than £110 per week.

Justin Tomlinson: This Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by carers.A variety of support is available to both carers and the severely disabled people that they care for. Support is both financial, including through the benefit and Tax Credit systems and the Universal Credit service, and in other ways through local councils and health services.Carer’s Allowance is designed to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. For this reason it is not available to people earning more than £110 a week net of allowable deductions and expenses.Carers earning more than £110 a week may be entitled to other financial support, such as Universal Credit or Tax Credits if they satisfy the qualifying conditions.People with a disability can claim benefits in their own right in order to meet their needs. Depending on individual circumstances, such financial support can be through universal, extra costs benefits and/or means-tested benefits. Means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit, include an additional amount for people with a severe disability (currently £61.85 a week for a single person) which can be paid to a disabled person to help meet the costs of caring if their carer is not receiving Carer’s Allowance.

Carers' Benefits

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what effect the introduction of Universal Credit will have on funding for care available to older people with a disability whose principal carer is engaged in education for more than 21 hours per week.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support is available to people spending more than 21 hours per week in education who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support to meet caring needs is available for older people with a disability whose principal carer is engaged in education for more than 21 hours per week.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support to meet caring needs is available for older people with a disability whose principal carer is engaged in education for less than 21 hours per week.

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support is available for people spending up to 20 hours per week in education who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

Justin Tomlinson: People in full-time education, including those with caring responsibilities, are not normally entitled to benefits. Rather they are supported through the educational maintenance system, via its range of loans and grants. Support may also be available through local councils and health services.  Students undertaking a part-time course have access to carer related benefits in the usual way.People with a disability can claim benefits in their own right in order to meet their needs. Depending on individual circumstances, such financial support can be through universal, extra costs benefits and/or means-tested benefits. Means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit, include an additional amount for people with a severe disability (currently £61.85 a week for a single person) which can be paid to a disabled person to help meet the costs of caring if their carer is not receiving Carer’s Allowance.

Social Security Benefits

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who were affected by the benefit cap between May 2015 and August 2015 normally carried out paid work between one hour and 16 hours per week during this period.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not available.

Social Security Benefits

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people affected by the benefit cap are participants in the work programme.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who have been affected by the benefit cap at any point since September 2013, and are no longer affected, started a claim for working tax credit after becoming self-employed.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who have been affected by the benefit cap at any point since September 2013, and are no longer affected, are in receipt of (a) disability living allowance, (b) personal independence payment and (c) the support component of employment support allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Children: Poverty

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his most recent estimate is of the number of children living in poverty; and if he will publish such data for each region and parliamentary constituency.

Priti Patel: Estimates of the number and proportion of children in relative and absolute low-income are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series.Due to small sample sizes figures for constituency level are not available as robust estimates cannot be produced for local level geographies. However, HBAI does provide 3-year average estimates of the number and proportion of children in relative and absolute low-income for each region in the UK. Analysis by region is presented as three-year averages as single-year estimates are considered too volatile. Figures are presented in financial year estimates and are available up to 2013/14The latest publication is available at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-19941995-to-20132014

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water: EU Law

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to implement the EU Water Framework Directive.

Rory Stewart: The Environment Agency is the competent authority for implementing the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in England. On the basis of Ministerial river basin planning guidance, the Environment Agency produces river basin management plans which set the policy framework for decision making by everyone with a stake in the water environment for each six-year planning period.The Environment Agency has been reviewing the 2009 river basin management plans over the last three years. This has involved direct engagement with organisations with an interest in management and protection of the water environment, such as water undertakers, land managers, and planners, and three public consultations. Draft updated plans will shortly be submitted for approval to the Secretary of State and published.Since the river basin plans were first published in 2009 the Environment Agency has worked with partners on projects to improve and protect over 15,000km of rivers, 52 bathing waters and more than 1,000 square kilometres of lakes. These projects include the installation of over 200 fish passes and almost 500 eel passes, which have opened up more than 12,000km of river to fish.

Water: Pipelines

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help implement United Utilities' proposed North-South water pipeline alongside the currently proposed High Speed 2 route.

Rory Stewart: United Utilities did not approach the Department to discuss such a project during the preparations for its water resources management plan, 2015 – 2040, and did not include it in the final submission to the Secretary of State before publishing its final plan.Defra and the Environment Agency are now working with all water companies to ensure that they consider the range of options for balancing future supply and demand in their next update to their plans to be published in 2019. This includes looking at bulk transfers between companies.

Farmers: Finance

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the banking sector on support for farmers.

George Eustice: I met representatives from the main high street banks in June this year to discuss the support they are providing to farmers. Officials from Defra have also had regular contact with representatives from the banks.I intend to meet the banking sector again later this year to discuss, in particular, the support they are providing to those dairy farmers who are experiencing financial difficulties.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers and other eligible businesses have (a) registered for and (b) completed the CAP payment application.

George Eustice: CAP payments are the responsibility of each Devolved Administration. In England 92,186 businesses and agents have registered to use the Rural Payment System and 88,363 businesses have submitted a Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) Application for 2015.

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will place in the Library a copy of the framework agreement between her Department and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Rory Stewart: The Framework document between Defra and Kew is currently in draft. Defra and Kew are working in line with the draft Framework document, which sets out how the bodies work together but is not legally binding. Defra is looking at how it works with its arm’s length bodies and this may inform the finalisation of the document.

Hunting Act 2004

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 10625, which organisations the Government has met to discuss amendments to the Hunting Act 2004.

Rory Stewart: Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations are published up to 31 March 2015 and can be accessed on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-quarterly-transparency-information-january-to-march-2015Further publications of Ministerial meetings will be published in due course.

Soil Erosion

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to evaluate the effectiveness of the Soil Protection Review form in reducing soil erosion.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the cross-compliance inspection regime in reducing soil erosion.

George Eustice: Defra commissioned research, published in 2012, to evaluate the implementation of the Soil Protection Review (SPR). The research took the form of a telephone survey of 800 claimants, with 30 in-depth interviews across a sample of farms by region, farm type and size.Following recommendations by the Farming Regulation Task force, a review of the SPR was conducted. In January 2015, new national standards for agricultural soils under cross compliance were introduced. These rules require farmers in receipt of payments under CAP to prevent soil erosion, to maintain soil cover and to protect the level of organic matter in their soils.The Government will continue to monitor the implementation of the new rules.

Soil Erosion

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides for farmers on reducing soil erosion on their land.

George Eustice: The Government published Cross Compliance in England: soil protection standards 2015 in January 2015. The guidance provides advice on how to identify soil erosion and on how to minimise erosion from cropping practices, livestock and vehicles.Farmers can access advice from the Farming Advice Service (FAS). The FAS is a service funded by Defra to help farmers understand and meet the requirements of Cross Compliance and other regimes, including the European Directives on water protection.Farmers can also seek advice under the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) project, which is run by Natural England in partnership with the Environment Agency and Defra. CSF raises awareness of diffuse water pollution from agriculture by giving free training and advice to farmers in priority catchments.

Ports: Dredging

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support her Department has given to recycling initiatives of spoil wastes from harbour dredging.

George Eustice: There are a number of good examples where support has been provided to the successful, beneficial re-use and recycling of dredged materials, including land formation at Allfleet’s Marsh on Wallasea Island, beach replenishment in Poole Bay and land claim undertaken to construct the London Gateway Port in the Thames Estuary. In addition, in 2014 the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) published research on the potential to improve the co-ordination of such projects in the future.The UK Marine Policy Statement (2011) states that applications to dispose of wastes must demonstrate that appropriate consideration has been given to the internationally agreed hierarchy of waste management options for sea disposal, which includes recycling.

Ports: Dredging

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the International Maritime Organisation on (a) disposal and (b) recycling of spoil waste from the dredging of harbours.

George Eustice: The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) provides the secretariat for the London Protocol, to which the UK is party.Under this global instrument (and the OSPAR Convention) that aims to protect the marine environment from pollution caused by dumping at sea, the UK has agreed guidelines on the management of dredged materials and the encouragement of its re-use and recycling. Moreover, we provide data on the disposal of dredged materials to the IMO (and the OSPAR Convention).

Horses: Animal Welfare

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of animal welfare laws on the protection of horses; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: When the Animal Welfare Act 2006 was reviewed in 2010, no recommendations were made specific to horses. Earlier this year, improvements were made to the Animals Act 1971 in relation to fly-grazing horses to enable horses left on other people’s land, without the landowner’s permission, to be removed more quickly. We have included the Riding Establishments Acts 1964 and 1970 in a review of animal establishment related licensing that my department is currently undertaking. We will issue a formal consultation shortly on a set of proposals.

Animal Welfare

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals for stricter laws dealing with people who abuse animals.

George Eustice: There are a number of existing laws, most notably the Animal Welfare Act 2006, that already provide enforcement agencies and courts with suitable powers to investigate and deal with people who are found to have abused animals.

Air Pollution

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve air quality in order to assist people with lung diseases.

Rory Stewart: We are fully committed to complying with EU Air Quality Standards as soon as possible. We have already committed over £2 billion since 2011 in transport measures to improve air quality. On 12 September we launched a public consultation on our draft revised Air Quality plans for nitrogen dioxide, which set out a range of local, national and European actions to lower levels of harmful emissions. The consultation closes on 6 November 2015.Government departments and agencies work together to prioritise action and offer the best advice to vulnerable groups to help mitigate the health effects of air pollution. Our daily air quality forecast includes accompanying health messages to the public based on advice provided by Public Health England.

Game: Animal Breeding

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will issue a response to EDM 402, Use of Cages to Rear Birds for Shooting.

George Eustice: Recent Defra funded research into the use of cages for rearing gamebirds compared with more traditional pen systems found no difference in welfare between the two systems. The Government intends to review the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes next year. In the meantime, if anyone considers that the welfare of a gamebird is being compromised they should report it to the Animal & Plant Health Agency who have powers to investigate such claims.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Liverpool

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many children have been registered as homeless in each borough in the Liverpool City Region in each of the last five financial years.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 14 October 2015



The numbers of households with children accepted as homeless in each of the Boroughs of the Liverpool City region in the financial years 2004/05 to 2014/15 are shown in the attached table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 14.65 KB)

Temporary Accomodation: Liverpool

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many children in each borough in the Liverpool City Region have been transferred to temporary accommodation in each of the last five financial years.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 14 October 2015



Figures for the numbers of children transferred to temporary accommodation are not collected centrally. The numbers of children in temporary accommodation on the last day of the financial years 2004/05 to 2014/15 in each of the Boroughs of the Liverpool City region are shown in the attached table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.64 KB)

Right to Buy Scheme

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the likely level of government investment in right to buy schemes in the next five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Government wants to help hard working families achieve their dream of home ownership. The agreement with the National Housing Federation will give 1.3 million housing association tenants the opportunity to purchase their home with Right to Buy discounts.The Government will be working closely with the sector on the implementation of the agreement.The Right to Buy will be funded through local authorities payments to the Government based on the estimated value of their high value vacant housing, to encourage efficient management of housing assets.We will announce more details of the costs of the Right to Buy extension in due course.

Temporary Accommodation

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many households have been placed in emergency temporary accommodation each year since 2010.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people have been categorised as intentionally homeless in each year since 2010.

Mr Marcus Jones: The numbers of households categorised by local authorities as being eligible, homeless and in priority need but intentionally so, in each of the financial years since 2004/05, are shown in the first column of the attached table. The numbers of households for whom the immediate outcome of being accepted by their local authority (due to being eligible, unintentionally homeless and in priority need) was to be placed in temporary accommodation, in each of the financial years since 2004/05, are shown in the second column of the table.



Table - Homelessness/Temporary Accommodation
(Word Document, 22.06 KB)

Housing: Refugees

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities on their capacity to house refugees.

Richard Harrington: The Government is working closely with the Local Government Association and local authorities already supporting the expanded resettlement scheme to help identify and promote the range of housing options that can be used by local housing authorities to house vulnerable Syrian refugees.

Housing: Refugees

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding the Government plans to allocate to local authorities for housing Syrian refugees; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Under the expanded Vulnerable Persons scheme, local authorities’ costs for the first year of a Syrian refugees resettlement are funded from the Overseas Development Assistance budget. To ensure that local authorities can plan ahead we will also provide additional funding to assist with costs incurred in future years (2 to 5). The Government is working closely with the Local Government Association and individual councils on the details of how funding arrangements for years 2 to 5 will operate.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to further control the ability of private landlords to evict tenants at short notice.

Brandon Lewis: The Government recently introduced protection for tenants from unfair eviction where they have made a legitimate complaint about the condition of their home. We have also introduced measures to ensure fairness for landlords, making the eviction process more straightforward in appropriate circumstances such as the persistant non-payment of rent. We believe that the current approach strikes a fair balance between the rights of landlords and tenants and do not have any plans to introduce further restrictions on a landlord’s ability to evict a tenant.The Housing and Planning Bill introduced on 13 October contains a range of measures that are intended to crack down on criminal landlords, thereby helping to improve the sector and ensure tenants get a better deal. There will be a blacklist of rogue landlords and letting agents, banning orders for the most prolific and serious offenders, civil penalties of up to £5,000 for certain breaches of housing legislation, Rent Repayment Orders to cover situations where a tenant has been illegally evicted or the landlord has failed to rectify a serious health and safety hazard in the property, and a tougher fit and proper person test for landlords letting out licensed properties, such as Houses in Multiple Occupation.

Homelessness

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will conduct a review of local government (a) procedures on and (b) requirements to provide housing to families who become intentionally homeless.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will commission an independent inquiry into the practice of classifying people as intentionally homeless.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department provides to (a) the public and (b) councils on the definition and application of the classification of intentional homelessness.

Mr Marcus Jones: How an authority should determine whether or not someone is intentionally homeless is set out in legislation and statutory homelessness guidance, which is available to the public and authorities. It makes clear that housing authorities should consider each case in light of its particular facts and must not adopt general policies which seek to pre-define circumstances that do or do not amount to intentional homelessness. We have no plans to carry out a review.Homelessness legislation ensures that families and the most vulnerable always have a roof over their head. This includes cases where households have made themselves homeless and are assessed by a local authority as being in priority need for accommodation. The law places a duty on the authority to secure suitable accommodation for a period that enables the household a reasonable opportunity to secure their own accommodation.

General Practitioners: Non-domestic Rates

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on local councils of the revaluation of business rates levied on GP surgeries.

Mr Marcus Jones: Information on the business rates paid by GP surgeries is not held centrally. My Department continues to work with authorities affected by the business rates appeals on GP surgeries to understand the impact on local authority finances.Under the business rates retention scheme, local authorities or pools of local authorities are protected against significant declines in business rates income through a safety net that guarantees income at 92.5% of baseline funding.

Derelict Land: Derby

Amanda Solloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with Derby City Council on the re-development of brownfield sites in the city with support from the grant announced on 28 January 2015 to help develop such sites following the announcement of a £4.4 million fund to help unlock potential sites.

Brandon Lewis: The Secretary of State has not held any meetings with Derby City Council in connection with the re-development of brownfield land or the funding made available to local authorities to develop local development orders for housing on brownfield land in January.Derby City Council did not submit a bid to the £4.4 million fund.

Social Rented Housing: Worcester

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of households in Worcester eligible to purchase their homes under (a) the right to buy, (b) the retained right to buy, (c) the right to purchase and (d) the new voluntary right to buy agreement with registered social landlords.

Brandon Lewis: The total numbers of local authority and private registered provider (housing association) dwellings by local authority district can be found in Live Table 100 which is available to download at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants This shows the numbers as at 1 April 2014, a proportion of which may have the Right to Buy, Preserved Right to Buy, the Right to Acquire or may become eligible with the voluntary agreement with housing associations depending on exemptions and eligibility of tenants.Data on the numbers of right to buy sales by district up to June 2015 can be found in Live Table 691 which is available to download at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales

General Practitioners: Non-domestic Rates

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to provide financial assistance to local authorities to deal with unforecastable shortfalls arising from the revaluation of business rates levied on GP surgeries.

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to help local councils with pooled funding tackle unpredicted revenue shortfalls due to the revaluation of the business rates levied on GP surgeries.

Mr Marcus Jones: The business rates retention scheme in England is providing real incentives for councils to support enterprise and economic growth. In 2015/16, 362 authorities expect to retain an extra £544 million in business rates above baseline funding. Under the scheme, local authorities or pools of local authorities are protected against significant declines in business rates income, such as from rating appeals on GP surgeries, through a safety net that guarantees income at 92.5% of baseline funding.

Homelessness: Greater Manchester

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many 16 and 17 year olds presented as homeless to Manchester City Council in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Mr Marcus Jones: There have been fewer than 5 cases in Manchester City Council in the last 12 months for which figures have been published (July 2014 - June 2015).

Supported Housing: Young People

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve supported accommodation for homeless young people in (a) Manchester, Withington constituency, (b) Manchester and (c) nationally.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is committed to preventing youth homelessness and is taking specific action across England to support young homeless people into stable accommodation, education, training or employment.We have invested £14 million to enable Crisis to support 10,000 vulnerable single people into privately rented tenancies, of which 41 projects are specifically targeted at young people.Our £15 million Fair Chance Fund payment by results scheme is supporting 1,600 vulnerable homeless 18-25 year olds into accommodation, education, training and employment. Projects for the scheme are being delivered across the country including the Manchester area.In addition, the Government is investing £40 million in Platform for Life, a lower rent shared accommodation programme to provide young homeless people with a stable base for work and study. We have also implemented the ‘Youth Accommodation Pathway’, good practice model that supports young people to remain in the family home where it is safe to do so and offers tailored support for those who cannot. This has been disseminated across all English local authorities.

Local Government: Devolution

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the results of the Family Test applied to the policies proposed in the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill [Lords].

James Wharton: The Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill is an enabling Bill. The Government will undertake the appropriate tests and publish them before any implementation orders are made.

Building Regulations: Disability

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will amend building regulations to ensure that building extensions are fully accessible for people with disabilities.

James Wharton: Part M of the Building Regulations requires that extensions to buildings other than dwellings provide suitable independent access to an extension where reasonably practicable. These requirements do not apply to extensions to dwellings, however. We have no plans to amend the Regulations but will keep this under review.

Scotland Office

Carbon Emissions: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 10602, on which dates he has held meetings with HM Treasury on the potential effects of a carbon price support exemption scheme in Scotland in the last year.

David Mundell: There have been a range of meetings on the issues around open cast restoration at Ministerial and Official level. This includes a number of meetings that both myself and colleagues have had with HM Treasury and the Department of Energy and Climate Change over a number of months.

HM Treasury

Tourism: VAT

Guto Bebb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential benefits of increasing the turnover threshold at which it becomes necessary to adopt the general rate for VAT for the tourism industry.

Mr David Gauke: No such assessment has been made. The Government has chosen to maintain the highest VAT registration threshold in the EU. EU law allows us to increase the threshold in line with inflation, and it has therefore increased to £82,000 with effect from 1 April 2015.

Child Tax Credit

Ian Murray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons his Department has not published a distributional analysis showing the effect on families of the reduction of the higher income threshold for child tax credit from £16,105 to £12,125.

Ian Murray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will publish a distributional analysis showing the effect on families in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK of the reduction of the higher income threshold for child tax credit from £16,105 to £12,125.

Ian Murray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons his Department has not undertaken and published an impact assessment for the Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2015.

Ian Murray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will undertake and publish an impact assessment in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK for the Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2015.

Damian Hinds: The Summer Budget offered a new deal for working people. It means Britain moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society.A new National Living Wage for workers aged 25 and above, initially set at £7.20 per hour from April 2016, will directly benefit 2.7 million low wage workers, and up to 6 million could see a pay rise as a result of a ripple effect up the earnings distribution. The new National Living Wage will boost pay for those currently earning the National Minimum Wage by £4,800 a year by 2020 when the National Living Wage is expected to rise to over £9 per hour.To help working families keep more of what they earn, the personal allowance will increase to £11,000 in 2016-17 and £11,200 in 2017-18. The government has committed to increase the personal allowance to £12,500 by 2020 which will mean that a typical basic rate taxpayer will see their income tax cut by £1,205 a year compared to 2010.The government set out its assessment of the impacts of the Summer Budget policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July 2015. Taken together, the introduction of the National Living Wage, increases in the personal allowance and welfare changes mean that 8 out of 10 working households will be better off as a result of the Summer Budget.In response to a request from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, the government has chosen to produce and release an impact assessment on the tax credit changes to the Committee. The impact assessment shows that 60% of the tax credit savings come from the half of tax credit claimants with the highest income.

Officers of Arms: Pay

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department last reviewed the salaries of officers of arms.

Damian Hinds: The Crown is responsible for paying the salaries of the Officers of Arms.

Mortgages

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of buy-to-let mortgages authorised in each of the last 10 years.

Harriett Baldwin: There have been 2 million buy-to-let mortgages taken out over the last 10 years. These figures are collected by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, on a quarterly basis and are publically available.

Married People: Tax Allowances

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many married couples with a single earner in each Office for National Statistics age group have received marriage allowance in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many married couples with a single earner in each Office for National Statistics age group have claimed marriage allowance in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold this data centrally.

Homelessness

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to continue paying the homelessness prevention grant to local authorities when the local government grant is phased out.

Greg Hands: We want a radical reshaping of the relationship between central and local government, ending the merry go round of clawing back local taxes into Whitehall and handing them out again in the form of grants. We will do this by giving local government full retention of its Business Rates by 2020, meaning all income from local taxes will go towards funding local services. We will work closely with the sector over the coming weeks and months to ensure local people have more control over how their money is spent. This will mean looking at the grants that currently go from central government to local authorities, and the range of responsibilities central government asks local government to deliver. There will still be redistribution between councils so that councils don’t lose out just because their area starts from a weaker position. We will set out more detail at the Spending Review.

Police: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to set out in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review that police budgets in Cumbria should not be reduced.

Greg Hands: Police reform is working and crime is down by more than a quarter since 2010, according to the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales.As with other spending decisions, no decisions have been taken on police funding beyond 2015/16. Future funding levels will be subject to the outcome of the Spending Review later this year.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Green Deal Scheme: Repayments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many households will not be reimbursed for the funds they paid for a Green Deal Assessment; and what (a) total and (b) average sum is paid by such households.

Andrea Leadsom: 598,612 Green Deal Assessments had been lodged by the end of August 2015.This has played a part in the installation of around 1.6 million energy efficiency measures in around 1.3 million properties.The Department’s Green Deal Customer Journey Survey, published in March 2015, showed that 80% of householders did not pay to have a Green Deal Assessment, and that of those people who did pay in full or in part for their assessment, half paid £150 or less.1,2 Consumers have obtained Green Deal assessments for a number of reasons, these include: saving money on their energy bills; the prospect of a warmer home; the offer of free assessments; having improvements done for free or at a reduced price; and concerns over rising energy bills. Assessments have allowed householders to access a number of different Government schemes or fund work themselves. The Government does not offer reimbursements for assessments which are payments to companies or private individuals.[1] Page 10 of report athttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/414170/green_deal_customer_journey_survey_report.pdf2 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/414176/green_deal_customer_journey_topline_data.xlsx (Table D7)

Nuclear Engineering: Age

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the average age is of engineers in the civil nuclear industry.

Andrea Leadsom: The Nuclear Industry Council (NIC) runs an annual Nuclear Workforce Assessment (NWA) initiative to gather labour market intelligence from the nuclear industry. The development of robust labour market intelligence is vital to ensuring that government, employers, and skills bodies have a clear view of the future skill demands of the UK nuclear programme, and the existing skills base.The 2014 NWA shows that the average age of the workforce from the 38 companies included was 40-44.http://www.nsan.co.uk/system/files/furtherinfo/Nuclear%20Workforce%20Assessment%202014_141222.pdf.

Nuclear Power: China

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which projects have been undertaken to date under the UK-China Memorandum and Understanding on Enhancing Cooperation in the Field of Civil Nuclear Industry Fuel Cycle Supply; and what the (a) location and (b) cost is of each such project.

Andrea Leadsom: A number of communication meetings, seminars, and reciprocal visits have taken place under the Memorandum of Understanding. No projects have as yet been taken forward.

Nuclear Centre of Excellence: Finance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the annual budget is for the UK's Centre of Nuclear Excellence.

Andrea Leadsom: The Centre of Nuclear Excellence is a Cumbrian partnership of public and private organisations which aims to maximise the benefit of the region’s nuclear capability and expertise for the local economy and UK as a whole. The organisations involved support the initiative’s work with in-kind contributions of manpower.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Finance

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the schedule of comparable programme objects in HM Treasury's publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, what the total expenditure was on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority between 2010 and 2015; and what the forecast expenditure is in each location on that authority in each of the next five years.

Andrea Leadsom: The total expenditure on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) between 2010 and 2015 was £15,381 million. This was predominantly spent on front-line operations and decommissioning with a small central spend on the NDA itself and on activities such as R&D. The expenditure was across the NDA estate which covers England, Scotland and Wales. However, it should be noted that Sellafield, the UK’s largest, most complex and challenging site accounts for over half of the NDA’s annual budget. There are no nuclear facilities in Northern Ireland.TheDepartment’s request for future funding as part of the Spending Review contains details of the NDA’s estimates of expenditure in line with its existing plans. This includes focussing on tackling the highest hazards at Sellafield.

Coal Gasification

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the environmental effects of underground coal gasification.

Andrea Leadsom: In recognition of the need for a better understanding of the potential impacts of underground coal gasification, the Department has commissioned an assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions related to underground coal gasification, which we expect to publish in due course.

Hinkley Point C Power Station: Government Assistance

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has received legal advice on the effect of changes in the market price of wholesale electricity since agreeing a strike price with EDF for electricity from the proposed Hinkley Point C power station on whether the Government's support constitutes state subsidy.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC has taken and continues to take advice from internal and external lawyers on a range of issues on the Hinkley Point C project, as well as from other sources. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him to Question 11214:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-10-09/11214/The current wholesale market price is an inadequate comparator for the costs of bringing forward different electricity technologies in the future. The current wholesale price reflects an average of the short-term costs for existing generation already on the system, rather than the costs of future generation including their investment costs. Our electricity market reforms have set the right conditions for necessary investment in our energy market, and support low-carbon generation in nuclear as well as in other generating sectors.

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she received the report by the group Together Against Sizewell C (TASC) Nuclear Power: New Evidence: a call for a full-scale statutory review of the Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1); and what response she has made to the correspondents sending that report.

Andrea Leadsom: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State received a copy of the report on 9 July 2015. The report was discussed with officials at a meeting of my department’s Nuclear NGO Forum on 21 July and it was agreed that a sub-group of the forum should be set up to discuss the Nuclear National Policy Statement. The Department wrote to Together Against Sizewell C (TASC) on 29 July confirming these arrangements. The subgroup will hold its first meeting next month.

Wind Power

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans her Department has on funding for onshore wind energy development.

Andrea Leadsom: We are delivering our election commitment to end subsidies for new onshore wind. We are seeking to legislate through the Energy Bill to close the renewables obligation (RO) to new onshore wind capacity from 1 April 2016, one year earlier than planned. To protect wider investor confidence we are proposing to allow projects which meet certain criteria extra time to accredit under the scheme.Fifteen onshore wind projects, with a combined installed capacity of around 750MW, signed a Contract for Difference (CfDs) earlier this year following the first CfD allocation round. These projects are expected to commission between 2016/17 and 2018/19. We will be setting out our plans for delivering a new generation of cost effective, secure, electricity supplies and confirming decisions in relation to allocations of further renewables contracts in due course.Small-scale onshore wind projects up to 5 megawatts in scale are eligible for support under the feed-in tariff (FITs) scheme. DECC has proposed action, through the FITs review consultation, to control spending and put FITs onto an affordable and sustainable footing. Further information can be found online at:https://econsultation.decc.gov.uk/office-for-renewable-energy-deployment-ored/fit-review-2015.

Solar Power

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department took into account the global growth potential of solar energy in making its decision to end Government support for the UK solar sector.

Andrea Leadsom: We are currently consulting on revised rates under the Feed-in Tariff scheme, and our proposal includes tariffs that would continue to provide a reasonable rate of return for the best sited solar PV projects.We have additionally recently consulted on closing the Renewables Obligation to new solar PV projects of 5MW and below.In both cases, the tariffs under consultation and the Impact Assessments have been conducted including analysis of the global cost trajectory of solar panels, and other materials in the solar supply chain.The Impact Assessments for the FIT Review and RO Closure consultation can be found at:FIT Review Consultation: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-a-review-of-the-feed-in-tariff-scheme;RO Consultation: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-financial-support-for-solar-pv.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of Feed in Tariff component of the Levy Control Framework cost is accounted for by the cost of ongoing support for the installations made before 2012.

Andrea Leadsom: The cost to consumers of the feed-in tariff scheme (FITs) in 2014/15 will be around £850m (in 11/12 prices). Our central estimate of the cost to consumers of FITs in 2020/21 is £1600m (11/12 prices) in the ‘do nothing’ option of the consultation impact assessment. The FITs levelisation fund in 2011/12, indicating total annual spend on the scheme at that point, was £151m (also in 11/12 prices). Therefore installations accredited in 2011/12 or before are forecast to make up approximately 18% of current spend on the scheme and 10% of the FITs LCF estimates in 2020/21.

Energy: Meters

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing net metering; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Scots Gaelic Language

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons the Government does not respond to correspondence written in Scottish Gaelic with a reply in Scottish Gaelic.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The Government recognises and supports the cultural and historical significance of all languages spoken within the United Kingdom, and as a demonstration of its support for Scottish Gaelic, is providing the broadcaster MG ALBA with funding of £1 million in the previous and current financial years.Given the current low levels of demand for such a service, providing official responses to correspondence in Scottish Gaelic would represent a disproportionate cost. Therefore, we have no plans to introduce a Gaelic language policy for written correspondence.

Charities

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place restrictions on charities seeking annual contributions from supporters.

Mr Rob Wilson: There are no plans to place statutory restrictions on charities seeking annual contributions from supporters in England and Wales. Charity law is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Charities: Correspondence

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with charities on respondents being required to tick boxes if they do wish to receive further communications; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Rob Wilson: Government is supporting all of therecommendations of the recent review by Sir Stuart Etherington following the high profile cases of poor charity fundraising practice earlier this year. In line with the review charities should have clear consent to contact donors andcurrent reliance on 'opt out' boxes hidden in the small print is not acceptable.

Alcoholism

Liam Byrne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Department has responsibility for policy on supporting the children of people with alcoholism.

Mr Oliver Letwin: Department for Education have the overarching responsibility for children in terms of support, including children’s social care and schools.

Department of Health

Palliative Care

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish an updated end of life care strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The National Palliative and End of Life Care Partnership published the Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care: A National Framework for Local Action 2015-2020, in September 2015. The Ambitions document builds on the 2008 End of Life Care Strategy and sets out a framework aimed at local health and social care and community leaders with actions to make palliative and end of life care a priority at local level.The Partnership is made up of statutory bodies including NHS England, Public Health England, the Association of Adult Social Services, charities and groups representing patients and professionals.

Palliative Care: Expenditure

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on specialist palliative care in each financial year between 2000-01 and 2014-15.

Ben Gummer: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.Cost of specialist palliative care reported in reference costs, 2006-07 to 2013-14Estimated total cost (£ million)2006-07252007-08462008-09562009-10692010-11832011-12912012-131012013-14111Source: Reference costs, Department of HealthNotes:Reference costs are the average unit cost to National Health Service hospital trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year to NHS patients. Reference costs for acute care are collected by healthcare resource group (HRG), which are standard groupings of clinically similar treatments that consume similar levels of healthcare resource. HRG costs for specialist palliative care include care delivered by NHS hospital trusts under the principal clinical management of a specialist palliative care medicine consultant, either in a palliative care unit or in a designated palliative care programme. They do not include general palliative care, community specialist palliative care, or care delivered by voluntary sector and other accredited providers (including independent sector hospices).HRGs for specialist palliative care were introduced in 2006-07 reference costs. Information is not available for earlier years.Reference costs for 2014-15 will be published later in 2015.

Death

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of natural deaths occurred (a) at home, (b) in a hospice, (c) in a care home, (d) in the home of a friend or relative and (e) in hospital in each financial year between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Ben Gummer: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.Deaths by place of occurrence, 2010-13, England and WalesYearHomeCare homeHospiceHospitalsOther communal establishmentsElsewhere2010102,41689,32025,615264,9621,6359,2942011105,35492,38626,361249,3871,5379,3422012110,111103,16427,493247,7321,7099,1222013113,071107,09027,102248,2381,6989,591Source: Series DR Mortality Statistics: Deaths Registered in England and Wales, Office for National Statistics (ONS)Notes:The latest ONS data on deaths by place of occurrence relate to 2013. Data for 2014 will be released later this year. Data for 2015 will be released in 2016.Death figures are based on deaths registered rather than deaths occurring in a calendar year. Figures are not collected by financial year.Place of death is defined using a revised place of death classification.Deaths at home are those at the usual residence of the deceased (according to the informant)‚ where this is not a communal establishment.Care homes includes homes for the chronic sick; nursing homes; homes for people with mental health problems and non-NHS multi-function sites.Hospices include Sue Ryder Homes; Marie Curie Centres; oncology centres; voluntary hospice units; and palliative care centres.Other Communal Establishments include schools for people with learning disabilities; holiday homes and hotels; common lodging houses; aged persons’ accommodation; assessment centres; schools; convents and monasteries; nurses’ homes; university and college halls of residence; young offender institutions; secure training centres; detention centres; prisons and remand homes.Elsewhere includes all places not covered above such as deaths on a motorway; at the beach; climbing a mountain; walking down the street; at the cinema; at a football match; while out shopping; or in someone else's home. This category also includes people who are pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.Data are not collected specifically on deaths occurring in the home of a friend or relative.

Action on Smoking and Health

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions officials in his Department's tobacco control team met representatives from Action on Smoking and Health in each of the last five years.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 27 July 2015 to Question 7775, how many times the Deputy Director, Tobacco Control in his Department met representatives from Action on Smoking and Health in each of the last five years; and what the reason, items discussed and outcome were of each such meeting.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions officials of his Department have appeared alongside representatives of Action on Smoking and Health on public platforms in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The Deputy Director responsible for tobacco control holds quarterly meetings with representatives from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in order to monitor delivery according to the terms of the grant awarded under Section 64 of the Health and Social Care Act.There is no central record of every occasion on which the current or previous tobacco Deputy Directors and representatives of ASH were at the same meeting.

Blood: Contamination

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Written Statement of 17 July 2015, on the Cap on Care Costs, Official Report, House of Lords, HLWS135, what progress has been made in consulting on the distribution of £25 million allocated to ease transition to a reformed system of support for individuals affected by NHS-supplied blood or blood products contaminated with either or both of the HIV or hepatitis C viruses.

Jane Ellison: The Department is considering wider reform of financial assistance and other support for those affected with HIV and/or hepatitis C by infected NHS-supplied blood or blood products. We are doing this within the context of the spending review and in a way that is sustainable for the future.In order to help develop the shape and structure of any new scheme, we plan to consult on scheme reform before the end of the year.The £25 million was announced by the Prime Minister in March 2015, to support transition to a reformed scheme. We do not intend to use this for the administrative costs that might be associated with reforming the existing schemes, but expect to announce our plans for that money once we have a better understanding of what wider scheme reform might comprise following the outcomes of the consultation.

Maternity Services: Insurance

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to acute hospital trusts in England and Wales of liability insurance in maternity units.

Ben Gummer: The total amount of contributions collected across England by the NHS Litigation Authority to date this financial year from acute hospital trusts under the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) in respect of maternity units, is £525,192,156. Wales has their own risk pooling system managed separately.Cases that remain open at 31 March 2016 will be funded from future financial contributions from members of the CNST. In this sense the CNST is distinct from an ‘insurance product’ which would be likely to cover all claims notified in the specified period of cover, regardless of when they were settled and paid.

Baby Care Units

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which in-patient mother and baby units that specialise in caring for women during the perinatal period have opened since 2010.

Alistair Burt: NHS England has advised that since 2010 two new mother and baby units that specialise in caring for women during the perinatal period have opened in England. These new units are located at Dorset Healthcare, Florence House, Bournemouth and the North Essex Partnership Trust, Rainbow Unit, Chelmsford.

Action on Smoking and Health

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the merits of the grant application for funding received by his Department from Action on Smoking and Health; and if he will place in the Library details of the basis on which that assessment was made.

Jane Ellison: Recommendations to Ministers for funding are only made once an assessment of the proposal has been made by officials against standard business case criteria which consist of a Strategic Case, Economic Case, Financial Case, Commercial Case and Project Governance.The assessments undertaken in the awarding of grants to Action on Smoking and Health contain policy advice to Ministers and so are not made public.A grant application is currently under assessment and a decision on funding has not yet been made.

Influenza: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide for aspirin to be available on the NHS for people with ill health caused by an influenza vaccination.

Jane Ellison: Two influenza vaccines are in use; a needle-administered inactivated flu vaccine and a live attenuated vaccine administered as a nasal spray to children. Side effects of either influenza vaccine are generally mild and unlikely to require any form of pain relief such as paracetamol or aspirin.

Pancreatic Cancer: Diagnosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to introduce earlier forms of diagnosis of pancreatic cancer on the NHS.

Jane Ellison: The independent cancer taskforce published its report Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020 in July 2015, which recognised early diagnosis as a key priority for improving cancer outcomes. Recommendation 21 in particular refers to Wave 2 of the Accelerate, Coordinate, Evaluate (ACE) programme, which specifically aims to speed up and improve diagnosis of cancers with non-specific but concerning symptoms through the use of a multidisciplinary diagnostic centre.NHS England is working with partners across the health system to consider how best to take the recommendations of the report forward.

Alzheimer's Disease: Alcoholic Drinks and Smoking

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on potential links between drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco and Alzheimer's disease.

Jane Ellison: Improving the treatment and care of people with dementia, reducing the incidence of dementia and improving dementia research, is a key priority for the Government.My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with various stakeholders, including Royal Colleges, in which a wide range of topics are discussed. There have been no meetings to discuss the potential links between alcohol, tobacco and Alzheimer’s disease specifically.Studies investigating whether alcohol consumption is linked to dementia risk have had mixed results and research is ongoing. However, very heavy drinking is known to cause alcohol-related dementia, also known as Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome.Public Health England (PHE) has made dementia risk reduction one of their seven public health priorities for the next five years. In May 2014 PHE and the UK Health Forum published the Blackfriars Consensus, a statement calling for action on dementia risk reduction which was signed by 60 organisations and individuals working on dementia and other non-communicable diseases, as well as by the Secretary of State and the Health Ministers from the devolved administrations.PHE is now working closely with the Alzheimer’s Society and a range of others partners to deliver concerted action to reduce people’s risk of dementia by supporting them to live healthier lives and manage pre-existing conditions that increase their risk of dementia. Their programme includes work to further develop the evidence base and improve modelling of incidence and prevalence, to embed dementia risk reduction messages into health improvement and secondary prevention activity, and to raise public and professional awareness and understanding of what can be done to reduce dementia risk.On the latter PHE is engaging with the Royal College of General Practitioners as well as others such as Health Education England and the relevant sector skills councils.

Macular Degeneration

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in each Office for National Statistics age group were diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: It is not possible to identify only those diagnosed with age related macular degeneration. The table below shows the number of finished admission episodes, for England, for the last five years, where the primary diagnosis was ‘degeneration of the macular and posterior pole’. This would include age related macular degeneration, as well as other conditions.Age group2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/140-4422325-97127310-1412698815-1919918101120-24294332213625-29525129334730-34666142575635-39120957310110040-4418216215616222945-4921825625431937750-5443241743947763655-598419808129731,21660-642,0962,6172,5892,6472,83365-693,9074,7405,1535,9826,42770-746,8438,6858,9379,7709,84775-7910,69712,99814,05115,34714,50680-8412,93416,56817,08318,76517,74785-8910,69513,11413,96015,55014,26290+3,2585,3826,1797,3207,318Unknown686711TOTAL52,41866,19569,82677,55975,672Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information CentreNote: A finished admission episode is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider.Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the same period.

Drinks: Sugar

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with supermarkets to reduce or stop the sale of sugary drinks.

Jane Ellison: Departmental officials also have regular discussions with supermarkets on a range of healthy eating issues including the sale of sugary drinks.Although some supermarkets and manufacturers have made significant announcements with regard to reducing the sugar in drinks, which Ministers have welcomed, the challenge to industry to make further progress remains.

Mental Health: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) submitted a local transformation plan for children and young people's mental health and wellbeing before the first-wave deadline of 18 September 2015; and how many CCGs have still to submit such a plan.

Alistair Burt: 31 local transformation plans, representing 54 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were submitted by the first wave deadline of 18 September. A total of 102 plans are expected to be submitted by 16 October representing the remaining 155 CCGs.CCGs were given two opportunities to submit plans – on the 18 September and 16 October 2015. The first submission date is in recognition that some CCGs were advanced in their plans for local improvement and already had a Children and Adult Mental Health strategy and plan in place. It is expected that the vast majority of submissions will have been received by 16 October 2015.

Medical Treatments

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what basis his Department took the decision to remove from the NHS Constitution the phrase 'psychological therapies' from the drugs and treatments that have been recommended by NICE; and what discussions his Department has had with NICE on steps to address the lack of parity in the way interventions for mental and physical health are addressed.

Alistair Burt: There has never been a specific reference to psychological therapies in the NHS Constitution.For the most recent update, we did consult on whether to include a right to psychological therapies, as part of the wider right to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). However, the right to drugs and treatments reflects the legal funding requirement that applies to interventions recommended by NICE technology appraisal guidance. NICE has not been asked to undertake a technical appraisal of psychological therapies, so we decided that the most sensible outcome was to not include the phrase “psychological therapies” in the Constitution as it would otherwise risk confusion.There have been no specific discussions with NICE on parity of mental and physical health interventions. The majority of new drugs and significant license extensions, including for mental health conditions, are referred to NICE for the development of technology appraisal guidance. Ifin the future psychological therapies are recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance and consequently mandated for use in the NHS, we will consider consulting once again on including a right to psychological therapies within the Constitution.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many adults received consultant-led mental health treatment in each of the last 10 years; what proportion of people receiving mental health support received consultant-led treatment in each such year; and what proportion of those people received that treatment within 18 weeks of referral in each such year.

Alistair Burt: Information on the number of people in contact with mental health services including those of whom who were in contact with consultant led services between 2011/12 and 2014/15 is given on the attached table The number of people in contact with mental health services and, of those, the number who were in contact with consultant led services 2011/12 -2014/15. Mental health services are delivered by multidisciplinary teams with clinicians from various professional backgrounds working together in the delivery of care.Information on the proportion of people who received consultant-led mental health treatment within 18 weeks of referral is not held centrally.



People receiving mental health treatment 2011-15
(Excel SpreadSheet, 37.29 KB)

Liver Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information is not held in the format requested.

Macular Degeneration: Medical Equipment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of when the iolAMD device for eye conditions will be available on the NHS.

Alistair Burt: There is no National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on the use of the ioIAMD lens. Where NICE guidance does not exist on a particular treatment, it is for local National Health Service commissioners to make funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence and on the basis of an individual patient’s clinical circumstances.NHS commissioners are required to have in place clear and transparent arrangements for local decision-making on the funding of treatments and for considering exceptional funding requests.If a patient’s local clinical commissioning group, decides, on the basis of rational, proper consideration of the evidence, that a treatment should not be provided which the patient and their doctor have requested, patients must be provided with the reasons for that decision in writing.The Government has been clear that restricting access to services on the basis of cost alone is wrong and compromises patient care. Commissioning decisions should be made on the basis of the available evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness.

Diabetes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support is available for people with diabetes to ensure that they can continue to live independently.

Jane Ellison: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standard for diabetes sets out that people with diabetes should receive a structured educational programme as this is key to ensuring that they are able to manage their condition as successfully as possible.While there is still much room for improvement, the proportion of people with diabetes being offered structured education is rising. 16% of people newly diagnosed with diabetes were offered structured education in 2012/13 compared to just over 8% of those diagnosed in 2009. In the same period the number of people newly diagnosed with diabetes offered or attending structured education rose from 11% to over 18%.Improving the outcomes of people with and at risk of diabetes is of great concern to this Government and we will put forward our plans in due course.

Cataracts: Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have had cataract operations due to exposure to sunlight in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: It is not possible to identify the number of people who have developed a cataract as a result of exposure to sunlight.

Hospitals: Standards

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the operation of the NHS Standard Contract for acute services.

Ben Gummer: The NHS Standard Contract provides a mechanism through which providers of NHS-funded services, including acute services, can be held to account. The Contract includes detailed requirements in relation to the provision of safe, high-quality services and compliance with national policies and NHS Constitution standards. It includes mechanisms which commissioners can use to ensure that services to patients are of a high standard and that providers take prompt action to remedy any failings.The Contract provides a national framework, but there is scope for commissioners to include local detail appropriate to the services being commissioned (service specifications, specific quality standards). Management of agreed contracts is undertaken not at a national level but by the local commissioner.Commissioners, providers and representative bodies from all service sectors, as well as national stakeholder bodies including the Department of Health, have been invited to contribute to NHS England’s review of the NHS Standard Contract for 2016/17.

Hospitals: Standards

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he next plans to review the NHS Standard Contract for acute services.

Ben Gummer: The NHS Standard Contract is reviewed annually by NHS England. NHS England intends to publish an updated version of the Contract for consultation during the coming winter, with the final 2016/17 Contract being published in the New Year for use from 1 April 2016.

Health Professions: Training

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many training places were commissioned in England for new entrants to become (a) nurses and (b) midwives in each year between 2010 and 2015.

Ben Gummer: The following table shows the number of pre-registration nursing and midwifery places (degree and diploma courses) that were commissioned by year, for the period 2010/11 to 2015/16.2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16Nursing20,32718,06917,54618,05619,20620,033Midwifery2,4932,5072,5782,5882,5632,605Source: multi professional education and training budget monitoring returnsThe latest planned training commissions for 2015/16 were published in December 2014 by Health Education England as part of their Workforce Plan for England.

Health Professions: Training

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many training places he plans to commission in England for new entrants to become (a) nurses and (b) midwives in each year between 2016 and 2020.

Ben Gummer: Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for ensuring that the workforce has the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours to meet the needs of patients.HEE produces an annual Workforce Plan for England, with the 2016/17 plan scheduled to go to the HEE Board in December 2015 and published shortly after. This will include details of the nursing and midwifery commissions for 2016/17.As a result, there is no forecast available beyond the 2015/16 commissions data published in the 2015/16 workforce plan in December 2014.

Medicine: Education

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many places were available for new entrants to study medicine in England in each year between 2010 and 2015; and how many places for new entrants to study medicine are planned to be available in each year between 2016 and 2020.

Ben Gummer: The number of places available for new entrants to study medicine in England from 2010 to 2015 are as follows:Year (academic)Commissions2010/116,1952011/126,1952012/136,1952013/146,0712014/156,0712015/166,071Source: Higher Education Funding Council for England, Medical and Dental SurveyThe number of medical students planned for 2016/17 entry to undergraduate training in England is 6,071. Health Education England (HEE) will be establishing a review of medical student numbers as part of their wider workforce planning process to inform future year intakes. Any changes to student intakes will require careful consideration by HEE, Department of Health, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Health Professions: Training

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications were received per individual training place in England for (a) nurses and (b) midwives in each year between 2010 and 2015.

Ben Gummer: Information relating to the number of applications for pre-registration nursing and midwifery training is not collected by the Department.Information on applications and admissions to full time education courses in the United Kingdom is collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Autism: Diagnosis

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to reduce the waiting times for autism diagnosis; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Department has discussed with NHS England the difficulties that people on the autistic spectrum can have in getting an appropriate diagnosis in a timely manner. With support from the Department, NHS England and the Association of Directors of Social Services will undertake a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups to discuss good practice in meeting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard 51 Autism, and those that do not, with the aim of supporting more consistent provision. These NICE guidelines already recommend that there should be a maximum of three months between a referral and a first appointment for a diagnostic assessment for autism. We expect the National Health Service to be working towards meeting the recommendations.

Diabetes: Orthopaedics

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of amputations caused by diabetes (a) nationally and (b) in Gloucestershire in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The attached table gives the number of finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of diabetes and a primary or secondary procedure of amputation for (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire based Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), for the years 2013-14 and 2014-15 provisional.NHS Gloucestershire CCG and its provider partners have established a Diabetes Footcare Group in order to further analyse local amputation rates and ensure that the appropriate service improvements are made to reduce unnecessary complications of diabetes-related vascular disease such as lower limb amputations.



FCEs diabetes and amputations 2013-15
(Excel SpreadSheet, 22.08 KB)

Defibrillators: Preston

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many defibrillators there are in public places in Preston constituency; and what the location of those defibrillators is.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally.

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust paid in relation to the 104 patients admitted to The Priory, Cheadle Hulme in 2014.

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust paid in relation to the six patients admitted to The Priory, Darlington in 2014.

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust paid in relation to the 33 patients admitted to Cygnet, Harrogate in 2014.

Ben Gummer: This information is not collected centrally.We have written to Derek Brown, Chair of the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust informing him of the hon. Member’s enquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Women and Equalities

Equal Pay

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the gender pay gap.

Caroline Dinenage: The gender pay gap has fallen to its lowest ever level, but any gap is unacceptable. The Prime Minister has pledged to eliminate this gap in a generation. Our recent consultation will inform new regulations that will deliver our manifesto commitment to require large companies to publish details of their gender pay gap. We will also tackle the causes by encouraging girls to consider a wide range of careers and ensuring that workplaces are fit for the 21st century.